Oil Change software snoops through hard drive

[declan@well.com (Declan McCullagh)]

Alan forwarded this to me. Thought it might be interesting. -Declan

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Heads up: Privacy & Continuous Access Ks implicated by new software

This press release for a new product - a software agent - has
implications for privacy and continuing access issues, because it works
by scanning user's hard disks and automatically providing software
updates.
Unanswered Qs:
1) What other kinds of info does/can it troll for?
2) What does it do when it finds unregistered software?
3) Does it implicate ECPA?
4) Will updates be available through other means?
5) Must a user affirmatively grant permission to the software agent?
6) Can a user decline or limit the agent's access?
7) What uses may the agent's owner make of data collected?
etc.

Alan L
---
press release:

*** "Digital Oil Change"

CyberMedia announced today at PC Expo that it plans to automatically
"service"
personal computer software via the Net with a newly unveiled product
called
Oil Change. The company reports that Oil Change automatically replaces
outdated, bug-ridden software and hardware drivers with clean updates.
CyberMedia says the product is designed to use the Net to find, download,
and
install updates to Microsoft Windows 95 software applications and
drivers. Oil
Change reportedly tracks all currently installed versions and revisions
of all
Windows 95 software and hardware drivers on a PC, and then dials into
CyberMedia's Internet Web Server for related updates. Users in need of an
update are alerted by Oil Change with a description of what the update
will
do, and then the product finds the update on a software manufacturer's
Web
site, downloads, and installs it. Beginning today, CyberMedia says it
will
offer a free beta version of Oil Change for a limited time at its Web
site.