Comments on: Canadian businesses lobby for the right to infect peoples' computers with viruses and rootkits

By: Kit Holz

Kit Holz — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:54:00 +0000

Problem? It would kill and slow down Apple and Droid devices to the point that nobody will ever buy those or using them to surf the Internet.

Stupid! We surf with virtual machines and we copy every hour a new not infected one.

By: That_Anonymous_Coward

That_Anonymous_Coward — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:48:00 +0000

Well the first refrain will be if you have nothing to hide why worry, and the correct response is okay… but first your going to open all all of your records, emails,texts, accounting and make them public. You don’t want to? You must have something to hide…

By: Ryan Lenethen

Ryan Lenethen — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:57:00 +0000

The only way to protect against spyware, is more spyware!

Classic.

Will be as annoy and likely as effective as DRM. Easily avoided even without technological means by simply choosing not to use those companies. Like Sony for example. Due to buisness practices over the years, I would never, ever buy a product of theirs, no matter the price. So if companies want to commit customer sucide, go right ahead. Unless it is the sort of thing enabling ISP, mobile carriers, etc… that effectively have a state run monolopies, then that would be bad.

However even then, once it became common place it is just a race with the private tech community to defeat those measures. Which will likely take the better part of a day. So also go ahead and waste your money. So, it might work on demographics like the non-technologically inclined and elderly, but then again, not exactly the target group either.

By: James Penrose

James Penrose — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:51:00 +0000

And just wait for the fun when you have fifteen or twenty of these programs residing on your system, all duking it out and none of them written by decent coders.

By: howaboutthisdangit

howaboutthisdangit — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:44:00 +0000

Why not? While we’re at it, let’s also allow consumer advocates to install rootkits on the work and home computers of all of those lobbyists, lawyers and executives, just to make sure THEY aren’t doing anything wrong. Bankers, traders and politicians, too, so everybody can watch everybody else.

If they have nothing to hide, then they have nothing to fear, right?

By: Promethean Sky

Promethean Sky — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:07:00 +0000

Was anyone else immediately reminded of the Sony BMG rootkit? Right there is a shining example of why this is a bad idea on PURELY TECHNOLOGICAL grounds.

By: rocketpjs

rocketpjs — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:03:00 +0000

Bob and Doug moved to the suburbs, got SUVs and started voting right along with their neighbours.

Neither of them had much time for school after all the beer drinking, so they don’t have much in the way of critical thinking skills.

Apparently they believe most of their problems are because of the immigrants and those bastards in Ottawa, so (amazingly) they vote Conservative – somehow unaware that the Cons have actually been those bastards for a number of years now. Being stereotypes, they tend to enjoy repeating stock phrases and things they heard in the echo chamber while sipping brews.

By: Tribune

Tribune — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:36:00 +0000

sounds good to me

By: David Witt

David Witt — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 02:37:00 +0000

Where are Bob and Doug? The problem with Canada is there’s nobody willing to stand up and say ‘take off, you hosers!’

By: dioptase

dioptase — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:20:00 +0000

Or, as someone noted elsewhere, if you believe a Canadian government official (or entertainment executive, etc) is breaking the law, you can infect his or her computer with a key logger.

By: morcheeba

morcheeba — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:16:00 +0000

Or the RIAA. It’s like they’re not even pretending to not have their hand in Canadian law.

By: TimRowledge

TimRowledge — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:23:00 +0000

And a death sentence for the company itself. Maybe for the politicians that voted in favour of it too.

By: Tribune

Tribune — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:57:00 +0000

I have a counter proposal – all of these methods should be illegal and carry jail terms for the board of directors of any company that attempts them.

By: dragonfrog

dragonfrog — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:16:00 +0000

It doesn’t even read to me like Geist has fully expanded how ridiculous the proposal is.

a program that is installed by or on behalf of a person to prevent, detect, investigate, or terminate activities that the person reasonably believes (i) present a risk or threatens the security, privacy, or unauthorized or fraudulent use, of a computer system, telecommunications facility, or network, or (ii) involves the contravention of any law of Canada, of a province or municipality of Canada or of a foreign state;

Never mind copyright collectives – this would allow a Chinese government agent to install spyware on computers in Canada to look for communications with Falun Gong members in China, so as to more effectively persecute these contraveners of Chinese law.

By: Jake Rennie

Jake Rennie — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:10:00 +0000

[This comment removed by Wal-Mart. Save money. Live better.]

By: Sarge Misfit

Sarge Misfit — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:51:00 +0000

Great idea! In fact, let’s take this further. Allow Wal-Mart etc to install cameras in our homes to ensure that we’re not using shop lifted goods.

By: Roose_Bolton

Roose_Bolton — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:22:00 +0000

I know, bizarre eh? It’s almost as if we’re not one giant homogenized entity with a single brain.

By: Michael Smith

Michael Smith — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:16:00 +0000

They could get away with this on computers where the owner does not have root/administrator access. Primarily tablets these days.

By: C W

C W — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:16:00 +0000

I can’t wait for the malware “industry” lobbying group, ala the direct marketing douchers.

By: Jacktionman

Jacktionman — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:06:00 +0000

Why is it Canada seems to do so much good and so much bad at the same time?