Nebraska Panel Evaluates Effects of Spyware Along With Cybersecurity Risks

Laws against theft don't end stealing, and laws against the ills of the Internet age aren't likely to stop the spread of computer spyware, the Legislature's Judiciary Committee was told Friday. But such laws are worth passing, said Alex Nicoll, associate director of technologies for the Nebraska University Consortium on Information Assurance. The spyware programs "are causing people grief. They are causing people loss. We should not just say we should give up," Nicoll said at a committee hearing.

Spyware programs can track a person's computer and Internet use, collect personal information or hijack computers into opening certain advertisements or Web pages. Some also can disable security Latest News about Security programs designed to keep them from operating.