Congress is once again taking positive steps to combat the growing epidemic of identity theft. According to K.C. Jones at InformationWeek, Congress passed a very important bill on Monday that will help fight identity theft. They did this by adding an amendment containing most of an anti-spyware bill.
Bill H.R. 5938 an amendment to Senate bill S. 2168 has been passed and is expected to be signed by President George Bush. It is an important piece of legislation because it gives the federal government the ability to prosecute identity theft crimes even if the perpetrator and victim are in the same jurisdiction. Previously federal prosecution was only possible if the identity thief used interstate or foreign communications to infect a computer with spyware or keystroke loggers. Another important aspect is that it allows identity theft victims to obtain restitution for the time and money they spent restoring their credit.
The legislation will also make it a criminal activity to delete, threaten to obtain, or release data from a computer or even to threaten to crash a computer. Furthermore, it addresses cyber extortion by making it a crime to demand money for the protection of a computer. A conspiracy charge was also added and rights were given to federal prosecutors to seize property used in the commencement of the crime.
In addition to identity theft, the amendment also includes stiffer penalties for the use of malicious spyware and keystroke loggers that damages a computer. It is now a misdemeanor (up to one year in prison) to send spyware that causes any loss. Previously that loss had to be greater than $5000. The legislation would also make it a felony (up to 10 years in prison) to use spyware or keystroke loggers that causes damage to ten or more computers.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau praised Congress for passing the legislation with appropriate language that balances the protection of legitimate industry practices and the rights of consumers to be properly protected from identity theft and fraud.
Mike Zaneis, VP of Public Policy at the Interactive Advertising Bureau stated.
“We appreciate the attention that Congress is giving to the important issues of combating identity theft and the proliferation of malicious spyware, and we support the approach taken in this legislation. The threat of having consumers’ identities stolen and the proliferation of spyware can erode consumer confidence in the Internet and undermines legitimate advertising and e-mail practices. IAB endorses the approach taken by Congress, which appropriately targets illegitimate conduct and provides law enforcement agencies with additional tools and resources to bring these criminals to justice.â€
Keyloggers, which log every keyboard stroke, and spyware have become tools of the trade for many identity thieves. This is important legislation in that it not only gives federal agencies more power to deal with these crimes but also because it increased prison sentences, both of which may act as a deterrent to some would be thieves. Victim restitution is also another important aspect. Further legislation in regards to data breaches and the responsibilities of those holding our information is still needed, but this Bill certainly helps address the problem of cybercrime. It is great to know that Congress is still thinking about identity theft prevention and how they can help the 9 million victims who fall prey to this crime every year.
That being said it is still very important for Americans to protect their computer from these online security threats. A review of internet security software packages may be on the horizon at Identity Theft Labs since online security is an important aspect of a complete identity protection plan. Currently Identity Guard is the only company offering an online security suite as part of their package. If you still don’t have computer protection and are interested in combining this with an effective identity protection service then Identity Guard is the right choice for you.