Do We Need A Pure Software Act?
from the better-labeling dept
Following the current legal battles of adware, MIT's Tech Review has an interesting proposal for a new software law, based on the century-old Pure Food and Drug Act that required foods and drugs to be properly labeled. The idea, then, would be to create a "Pure Software Act" that would clearly label what the software was doing to your system. The article suggests a list of 8 such actions that should be labeled (such as if it modifies your OS, monitors your actions or self-updates). This is really just an extension on the currently proposed anti-spyware laws (and the anti-spyware law already passed in Utah that's being contested) - but would basically clarify exactly how users should be notified in a clear and easy to understand manner that doesn't involve sneaking it all into the fine print.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Pure?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Pure?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
How is this act going to change things? Can you legislate clarity? Or the absence of legaleze?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]