Computer grinding toahalt

Thanks or the advice all. I had hoped for less dramatic action. Does this mean that any banking etc could be compromised?

Don't those institutions ask you additional questions to verify your credentials that only you would know to conduct a transaction, even after you're able to logon to the site?

Now, a key logger could be running on the machine that can gather information while you typed it --- no doubt.

But on the other hand, if a user is taken in the manner you're concerned about, then the user was absolutely involved in his or her demise, like they were directed to a site and gave the information up, because he or she got an email requesting such information so that he or she could be taken, or other such trickery. That's usually how it's going to happen.

But you can do some things to better protect yourself to reduce your attack vector as much as possible.

Yes.

cu

You were the one who said, that laws are only locally binding?

Most anglo-saxons license agreements fail miserably in German environments (or environments with a similarily structured legal system).

As long as it does not violate a law. And no, civilised countries usually do not have case law, where not the lawyer with better reasoning, but with the better library wins.

Over here usually not, since you only learn the details, after you bought it. ("shrink wrap" license agreements in general are more than tricky!)

Might be correct for the USofA.

There is, in fact, a comparable law.

Nice example, check your facts.

Cheers, Jens

Thanks. I am careful not to get hit by those things - to the point where I have argued with my bank when they legitimately ask for such questions. However, I am holding off using any online payment until I am certain.

Yeah, do be careful out there.

DRM is a form of copy protection and is, therefore, covered under the DMCA, and is therefore legal.

Says who? If it's implemented on a general purpose computer, this is obviously wrong.

Being covered by some legal protection doesn't mean anything for illegal things.