Posted 8:56 AM

Stop the ads, but let all the viruses in

The Register has now published relevant parts of California state senator Liz Figueroa's bill to prevent Google from offering its new Gmail product. One paragraph reads:

"This section does not prevent a provider of e-mail or instant messaging services to California customers from filtering unsolicited e-mail for removing spam or for managing computer viruses or other malicious programs."

Only problem? Anti-virus software filters all e-mail, not just "unsolicited e-mail" (it has no way of knowing which messages are solicited and which aren't, nor is there any conceivable way for it to tell!). Do-gooder Figueroa (she also authored California's draconian "do not call" legislation) may actually become the person who outlawed anti-virus software!