Article: MPAA kills anti-pretexting bill

Wired.com reports: Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Kills Anti-Pretexting Bill.

Pretexting is the use of false pretenses, including fraudulent statements and impersonation, to obtain an individual’s personal information, such as bank balances or phone records. This was made famous in recent months by the bad behavior of Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) Board of Directors.

Wired reports that a bill was effectively derailed by the intense lobbying efforts of the MPAA. The MPAA is less interested in protecting the privacy of consumers and more interested in being able to use fraudulent methods like pretexting to identify copyright violators. It all comes down to money in the pocket of the MPAA and to hell with consumer right to privacy.

According to Wired:
A tough California bill that would have prohibited companies and individuals from using deceptive “pretexting” ruses to steal private information about consumers was killed after determined lobbying by the motion picture industry, Wired News has learned.

The bill, SB1666, was written by state Sen. Debra Bowen, and would have barred investigators from making “false, fictitious or fraudulent” statements or representations to obtain private information about an individual, including telephone calling records, Social Security numbers and financial information. Victims would have had the right to sue for damages.

The bill won approval in three committees and sailed through the state Senate with a 30-0 vote. Then, according to Lenny Goldberg, a lobbyist for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, the measure encountered unexpected, last-minute resistance from the Motion Picture Association of America.

“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,’” Goldberg said.

Consequently, when the bill hit the assembly floor Aug. 23, it was voted down 33-27, just days before revelations about Hewlett-Packard’s use of pretexting to spy on journalists and board members put the practice in the national spotlight.

Legislature records confirm that the MPAA’s paid lobbyists worked on the measure. An aide to Bowen, who was forced out of the legislature by term limits and was elected Secretary of State, said the MPAA made its displeasure with the bill clear to lawmakers.

Groups like the MPAA and the Recording Industry Association of America hire investigators who use pretexting to identify violators.

Just another example of how common sense is swept aside by powerful lobby groups. And foolish legislators bow to their pressure and undoubtedly their campaign contributions.

Grrr.

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional concerned about how companies handle personally identifiable information. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

Jack Black Piracy PSA

Jack Black appeals to youth with this Public Service Announcement on video and audio piracy…

Excerpts:

No cash, no inspiration.
No inspiration, no rocket sauce.
No rocket sauce, no Kick-ass rock ‘n roll and videos.

Don’t be a douche. Stop piracy.

New Line produced this. At least they are appealing to the youth market in a way the audience can relate.