Washington Settles First Spyware Suit
| Title: | Washington Settles First Spyware Suit (ID: CSD4715) | | Author(s): | Andy Patrizio (Internet.com Corporation) | | Topics: | Spyware or Adware | | Origin: | Community Contributions (2006) | | Type: | Articles, Papers, and Reports | | Abstract: | The state of Washington has reached its first settlement under a new law designed to root out spyware schemes. The attorney general's office had accused Secure Computer LLC of defrauding consumers by telling them their computers were infected with spyware and then selling them a tool to remove it. According to authorities who conducted an investigation into Secure Computer's actions, computers said to be infected were not, and the tool for which consumers paid $49.95 did not remove spyware from computers that were genuinely infected. Under the terms of the settlement, Secure Computer agreed to pay $725,000 in legal costs for the state, $200,000 in civil penalties, and $75,000 in restitution to an estimated 1,145 consumers who bought the company's products. Although Secure Computer appears to have gone out of business, Paula Selis of the Washington Attorney General's office said that Paul Burke, president of Secure Computing, pledged to honor the payments outlined in the settlement. | | View this resource: | |
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