“In the good old days of 2001, Microsoft started an aggressive anti-piracy initiative that is still alive today. Called ‘Windows Product Activation,’ Microsoft’s early iterations attempted to verify copies of Windows online, going so far as to scan system components in an effort to individually identify machines. Some five years later Microsoft is still trying to keep an eye on piracy online, but they’re going about it in a way that angers many,” Ken Fisher reports for Ars Technica.
“Los Angeles resident Brian Johnson has field suit against Microsoft in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, charging the company with failing to disclose the true nature of a similar anti-piracy tool that Microsoft has distributed. The tool in question is the now-notorious ‘Windows Genuine Advantage’—an descendant of sorts from the old WPA approach. Johnson’s complaint centers around the fact that previous versions of WGA constantly “called home” to Microsoft, which in his view constitutes a a violation of anti-spyware laws in both California and Washington State,” Fisher reports. “Johnson’s suit seeks class-action status for the complaint, and it is being fronted by Scott Kamber of Kamber & Associates LLC in New York. Kamber recently served as plaintiff’s counsel in the rootkit fiasco centering on Sony.”
Fisher reports, “According to the complaint, ‘Microsoft effectively installed the WGA software on consumers’ systems without providing consumers any opportunity to make an informed choice about that software.’ Furthermore, Microsoft was accused of ‘misleading and unlawful conduct in installing uninstallable licensing enforcement software under the guise and misrepresentation of a security update…’ Microsoft has dismissed the complaint, calling it ‘baseless.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What’s this, a class-action lawsuit with merit? No matter, surely Microsoft will figure out a way to make this “go away” as usual.
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Related articles:
Microsoft’s ‘Windows Genuine Advantage’ antipiracy spyware fiasco isn’t going away – June 14, 2006
Microsoft hides fact that ‘Windows Genuine Advantage’ antipiracy spyware phones home every boot up – June 09, 2006
Perhaps the Gates Foundation could help?
I can hear it now: “Free vaccines paid for with dirty money for everyone!”
At least they get vaccines, geez.
Fred.
Don’t bash the foundation. I’ll bash Gates for a lot of things, but never that. At least he has a worthwhile cause.
Don’t be so quick to pat him on the back. His money is dirty regardless of what good he’s doing with SOME (but not anywhere near all) of it.
Before anything, Robin Hood was a thief.
Bill Gates is a thief. Does he really deserve any praise for donating some of his stolen loot?
MDN: Symantec is at it again; see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063000729.html
It’s not hard:
Bill Gates is a sleazebag trying to buy his way into heaven.
Ya know what annoys me?
I went out and purchased a nice shiny new legal copy of Windows XP to test out Bootcamp with. It works great.
Then I tried to use the same copy with Parallels on the SAME machine.
Won’t let me.
Says I have to purchase an additional copy.
MDN magic word: Justice as in, there just isn’t any when dealing with Microslop.
I know the history of Robin Hood. You don’t.
BLOOD MONEY
I still want to know how a company can put out a flawed product, and then charge its customers for “protection” from its vulnerabilities. Why hasn’t somebody filed a lawsuit for these circumstances?
WGA will be the best advertising for a Mac ever.
I love how people strategically name things to make them sound like they are beneficial to people where they really only benefit a small group of people/corporations/governments
Windows Genuine Advantage
The Patriot Act
A lot of people think that vaccines don’t work, and possibly worse.
http://www.vaccinationdebate.com/web4.html
http://www.heilkunst.com/drugs10.html
It’s like Windows, your local expert recommends because that’s how your local expert makes their money.
Use your search engine, don’t believe what anyone tells you especially big business, do your own research and use your own judgment.
For every life a vaccine takes, it saves a million.
Most of that stuff on vaccines is bullshit.
Do you know any kids in your neighborhood with polio? Didn’t think so.
Vaccines wiped out polio years ago. A few died during the process but untold millions live because of that vaccine.
Damn, too bad Eliot Spitzer is too busy running for governor in New York. This is the sort of stuff he’d rip to shreds.
Guck Fates, you are mucking foron.
“A lot of people” don’t think evolution occurs. That doesn’t prove anything except that those people are either uneducated or willfully ignorant. The same goes for the vaccine conspiracy theorists.
I followed your first link, but only read until the point (a couple sentences in) where a quote is given from “famous American physician” so-and-so. Wow! He’s famous? Then he must know what he’s talking about! And good thing he’s American. I’m not going to give my child a vaccine just because some uppity European socialists say I should! Plus he’s a *physician*. That’s means a doctor. Doctors are smart.
This is late night infomercial stuff. What kind of physician? Are we to listen to a generalist with a book to sell instead of the thousands of people working for the Centers for Disease Control?
A limited number of people can get away without immunization because virtually everyone else being immune makes spreading a disease very difficult. If everyone stopped immunizing their kids, we’d be vulnerable to epidemics.
Please try a little critical thinking.