US law provides for information obligation for P2P software providers

A subcommittee of the US House of Representatives has passed a law that requires P2P software providers to make clear to users which files they share. The provider must also request permission.

Following a number of incidents where sensitive information was inadvertently leaked through p2p programs, the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce has passed the Informed P2p User Act. This law requires that the sellers of p2p software ‘clearly and clearly’ indicate which files are shared. The user will also have to give explicit permission for sharing, the bill states. Stealth installation of this type of software is prohibited, and the programs should not hinder users from uninstalling.

In the original bill, this would apply to any program that can send files or request them from another computer. Because a lot of programs would fall under this definition, for example operating systems with built-in sharing capabilities, Democrat Jay Inslee tabled an amendment to narrow the scope of the proposal. In the final bill a less broad definition is included, and in addition, the text contains a list of programs that are explicitly excluded, such as mail or instant messaging programs.

The bill will now go to the House of Representatives for a vote. Given that both Democrats and Republicans support it, it stands a good chance of being hired, so reports Ars Technica.