And the beat goes on...Sony story continued

From Digital Music News, the Italians seem to be on the ball:

Fallout Continues for Sony BMG Copy-Protection Scheme

The fallout is continuing for Sony BMG following the discovery of its invasive CD copy-protection scheme. While Sony BMG pointed to changes in its use of rootkits - which burrow deep into the user's operating system and are undetectable - the drama may not be over. The company could soon be hauled before the Italian courts, and a leading anti-virus software company has added the consumer-unfriendly software to its "destroy" list.

The rumblings are just starting in Italy. The ALCEI-EFI, an Italian digital rights organization, has recently filed a complaint with an Italian cyber-crime investigation unit. ALCEI-EFI chair Andrea Monti pointed to the violation of "a number of Italian computer security laws" in a recent IDG News report. "What Sony did qualifies as a criminal offense under Italian law," Monti claims. If police agree, Sony will face criminal charges in Italy.

And extending the debacle, Computer Associates now calls Sony's CD-protection scheme "spyware," and its anti-malware software will begin destroying it when found. Additionally, it now warns Windows users to, "disable Autorun on your PC".

Installed automatically, the Sony BMG protection software stops Windows users from making more than three copies of a CD, while employing hacker-like methods to make it hard to find or remove from a PC. Malware authors often use such methods to camouflage spyware and viruses, and the software also communicates with servers at Sony's headquarters. While Sony denies it collects information on users this way, privacy advocates have been eyeing the development suspiciously. It is believed that the rootkit has been distributed within twenty Sony BMG titles. ALCEI-EFI stands for Association for Freedom in Electronic Interactive Communications - Electronic Frontiers Italy.