Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Mozilla sponsors Harvard’s StopBadware campaign

By Mass High Tech Staff

Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society reports it has signed the Mozilla Foundation as a sponsor of its StopBadware.org campaign.

StopBadware.org, is a consumer-protection initiative developed to combat badware. The nonprofit Mozilla, creator of the Firefox browser, joins Google Inc., PayPal Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd, VeriSign Inc., AOL LLC and Trend Micro Inc. as sponsors of the campaign. Consumer Reports WebWatch also serves as an unpaid special advisor to StopBadware.org, the Berkman Center said.

Badware is software that fundamentally disregards a user’s choice over how his or her computer will be used. There are several commonly recognized terms for types of badware – spyware, malware, and deceptive adware. Common examples might be a free screensaver that surreptitiously generates ads, or a malicious web browser toolbar that makes your browser go to different pages than the ones you expected. Some badware is harder to spot, such as keylogger programs that can transmit personal data to malicious parties.
The campaign comprises such tools as research into how badware spreads online, a user community intended to help keep websites and computers protected, public alerts about new badware applications, and a clearinghouse of dangerous websites reported by StopBadware.org’s partners.

In July, the state of Vermont passed a law to encourage businesses operating exclusively in cyberspace to incorporate in the Green Mountain State. The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Jim Douglas on June 6, allows the formation of Vermont limited liability companies (LLC) without any paper documentation or physical location, enabling owners to file all documents with the state online and to digitally store business bylaws and ownership records. The idea for the law stemmed from a discussion about virtual enterprises at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.

In February, John Palfrey, a digital media intellectual property specialist at the Berkman Center, joined Lexington investment firm Highland Capital Partners LLC as a part-time venture executive while retaining his post at Harvard.
Harvard established the Berkman Center in 1997.