Home
Newsletter
Events
Blogs
Reports
Graphics
RSS
About Us
Support
Write for Us
Media Info
Advertising Info
Pretexting

MPAA kills anti-pretexting bill that would have stopped identity theft criminals

Thursday, December 07, 2006 by: Jerome Douglas
Tags: pretexting, the MPAA, identity theft


Most Viewed Articles
https://www.naturalnews.com/021265_pretexting_the_MPAA.html
Delicious
diaspora
Print
Email
Share

(NewsTarget) A "pretexting" bill that involves preventing companies and individuals from using deceptive social engineering plots to steal private information about consumers has been killed after determined lobbying by the motion picture industry group Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

The bill was written by state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Calif. It would have prohibited investigators from making "false, fictitious or fraudulent" statements or representations to obtain private information about an individual. Recently, this "pretexting" was at the center of a corporate spying scandal that rocked the top ranks of global computer maker Hewlett-Packard.

Pretexting can include the stealing of information such as telephone calling records, Social Security numbers and financial information. The California bill against pretexting won approval in three committees and sailed through the California State Senate with a 30-0 vote.

According to reports, a lobbyist for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse said that he encountered unexpected last-minute resistance from the MPAA, the group that has sued music consumers who allegedly steal music using Internet downloading websites, services and other techniques through the same methods that the bill would have prohibited.

The lobbyist said, "The MPAA has a tremendous amount of clout and they told legislators, 'We need to pose as someone other than who we are to stop illegal downloading.'" When the bill was introduced on the state assembly floor on Aug. 23, it was simply voted down 33-27 -- which was just days before the scandal from Hewlett-Packard's use of pretexting to spy on journalists and its own board members.

Records from the California state legislature confirm that the MPAA's paid lobbyists worked on the measure, and legislators -- including Sen. Bowen -- said that the MPAA made its displeasure with the bill clear to lawmakers. "The MPAA told some members the bill would interfere with piracy investigations" a legislative aide said.

###


Receive Our Free Email Newsletter

Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.


comments powered by Disqus



Natural News Wire (Sponsored Content)

Science.News
Science News & Studies
Medicine.News
Medicine News and Information
Food.News
Food News & Studies
Health.News
Health News & Studies
Herbs.News
Herbs News & Information
Pollution.News
Pollution News & Studies
Cancer.News
Cancer News & Studies
Climate.News
Climate News & Studies
Survival.News
Survival News & Information
Gear.News
Gear News & Information
Glitch.News
News covering technology, stocks, hackers, and more