SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The U.S. government has dropped _ for now _ a controversial plan to classify the use of “proxy” servers as evidence of sophistication in committing a crime.
Proxy servers are computers that disguise the source of Internet traffic. They are commonly used for legitimate purposes, like evading Internet censors and working from home. But they can also be used to hide from law enforcement.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission was considering amending federal sentencing guidelines to increase sentences by up to 25 percent for using proxies in a crime.
Privacy advocates complained the language was too broad.
The disputed language was dropped from the amendments the commission voted on Wednesday.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.