Court Halts Spyware Operations

One Operator to Pay More Than $4 Million; Another Ordered to Stop Collecting Consumers Personal Information

An operation that deceptively downloaded spyware onto unsuspecting consumers’ computers, changing their settings and hijacking their search engines, has been halted by a federal court at the request of the Federal Trade Commission.

The judge has ordered the operators to give up to more than $4 million in ill-gotten gains. The court also ordered a halt to another spyware operator’s stealthy downloads and barred the collection of consumers’ personal information, pending trial.

http://ftc.gov/opa/2006/05/seismic.htm