If a program messes up other programs, then it is modifying the core operating system routines.
Global hacks means they affect all of The Sims 2. SecuROM is more than that; it affects the ability of
all programs that read and write to disk, not just The Sims 2. The extent of the damage it might do is unknown, which is why I can't take the risk of installing any new software from Electronic Arts.
If using game software as a Trojan Horse to infect unsuspecting consumers' machines with SecuROM isn't a crime, it ought to be.
At the very least, all Electronic Arts software should be clearly labeled on the outside of the box and throughout out all documentation with:
WARNING: If you install this software on your computer, you will also be installing, beyond your control, routines that will maciliciously and by full intent modify or destroy the operability of certain parts of your Windows operating system.