Bill aims to regulate spyware

A handful of U.S. senators on Monday introduced a bill to regulate spyware, upping the odds of such a law being enacted this year. In 2004, the House of Representatives took the lead in crafting spyware legislation, which was quickly approved but died in the Senate.

Sponsors Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are hoping that an early start in the Senate will meet with better results. They said their new "Spy Block" bill targets the "surreptitious installation" of software, the dubious practice of installing software that can't readily be removed, and other "deceptive practices."