The US House of Representatives passed HR2929, the SPYACT, that, if passed by the Senate and not vetoed, will regulate the collection of personal information by "spyware", among other things. The status of HR2929 is avaialable from the Library of Congress and Wired News has an article on the Bill:
Wired News: Spyware Bill Gets House Nod:
"...The House bill -- HR2929, the Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act -- is sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono (R-California).
It aims to prevent spyware purveyors from hijacking a homepage or tracking users' keystrokes. It also requires that spyware programs be easily identifiable and removable and allows for the collection of personal information only after express consent from users. The bill exponentially increases fines against abusers as well.
The bill also includes exemptions for spyware-like programs used for network security or to prevent fraud, and clarifies that 'notice and consent' forms need only occur once in order to avoid endless pop-ups...."
I expect that this bill will not be the final word on the subject as there are a number of spyware related bills before either of the House and the Senate:
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