Law Enforcement

CIPPIC actively tracks law enforcement actions against vendors and distributors of spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies in other jurisdictions, and is involved in domestic activity focusing on Canadian wrong-doers.

On November 3, 2005, CIPPIC together with the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) asked the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Canadian Competition Bureau to investigate the business practices of Montreal-based software distributor Integrated Search Technologies and several of its business partners. The filing marks the first time that the Bureau has been asked to investigate a spyware company, and the first time that the FTC has been asked to investigate the practices of a Canadian spyware vendor.

Joint CIPPIC/CDT Media Release [1]
CIPPIC's Application [2] to the Competition Bureau and FTC
CIPPIC's affidavit [3] in support of its Application
CDT's complaint [4] to the FTC

Other important law enforcement initiatives that have taken place in the United States include the following:

FTC action against Seismic
FTC action against Odysseus Marketing
New York Attorney-General action against Intermix Media, Inc.