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Information Technology

Texas sues Sony over spyware

By Justin Mann, TechSpot.com
Published: November 21, 2005, 7:41 PM EST
Sony is getting into even more hot water over their rootkit fiasco. In a civil suit filed by Texas Attorney General, Texas sues Sony for hiding spyware on their music CDs. The suit isn't that lightweight, either, serving apparently more than a warning.

"Texas is seeking civil penalties of $100,000 per violation of the state's Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act, which was enacted earlier this year. ... "Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers," Abbott said."
The EFF has also filed a suit against Sony for very much the same reasons., in California. Considering the nature of this software it doesn't come as a surprise that there is such a huge backlash over this, and hopefuly it will serve as a warning to other vendors.