“Microsoft today began expanding its anti-piracy program by quietly pushing out a software update that in many cases automatically scans Windows computers and reports on whether they are powered by unlicensed software,” Brian Krebs reports for The Washington Post. “The “new pilot program” is a fairly broad expansion of Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage program, under which the anti-piracy check was required only for users who wish to download security updates or other free programs from Microsoft’s site. Under WGA, users who chose to receive fixes via Automatic Updates were not prompted to install and run the anti-piracy software.”
Krebs reports, “Starting today, however, Windows XP users in the United States who have set up automatic security updates will receive the anti-piracy tool. After installation and reboot, they may find their computers popping up an alert that reads: ‘This copy of Windows is not genuine; you may be a victim of software counterfeiting.’ Microsoft also is pushing the new tool out to auto-update users in Britain, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.”
Full article here.
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Related article:
How Microsoft benefits from rampant piracy – April 18, 2006
Not a big surprise. Even if Windows is grossly mediocre, it’s still thievery to pirate it.
MDN MW: defense – defense of the immense bottom line
Big brother Bill is watching you. You’ll answer the phone tonight and this droning, Kermit-like voice will threaten you with prosection unless you cough up your credit card number.
All your computer are belong to us!
Prosection? Well, that could be painful too, I guess. Or prosecution. You choose.
but if the main thing people like about WIndows is that it’s “free,” where will they turn when that is taken away?
Maybe they’ll wonder about other options…
Excuse me – is this legal in the States?
Boy am I glad that I don’t live in a country where a software company can send me a spyware app legally…
AHHHHHHHH, you’re all my servants NOW!
I smell an Apple marketing blitz:
“OS X – because we don’t require you to register your OS, and we don’t spy on you, and we don’t really care that much if you install it on all your computers at home.”
Apple – going easy on OS pirates since 2000…
Or maybe that’s not such a good idea… 😀
And Ampar… quit nit-picking on Ampar’s posts.
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This is going to hit every Boot Camp user.
Tom,
Where’s that quote from? I forget.
Everybody should respect the property rights of others, no matter how big, offensive or wealthy the owner may be.
That said, this campaign has nothing to do with stopping piracy, MSFT benefits from the proliferation of its products in markets where they can’t afford them,this is about monetizing the effects of that piracy in markets where it no longer benefits MSFT. Just, look at where they are implementing this strategy, “Microsoft also is pushing the new tool out to auto-update users in Britain, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.“
Expect them to extend the program into Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Canada and the rest of the EU. You won’t see it in Africa, India, China or Russia for some time to come.
Shouldn’t every copy of Windows report back that it is counterfeit? After all, it’s just a very shoddy copy of the Mac OS…
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All your computer are belong to us!
BWAA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! AAHHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!
(wipes a tear from his eye…)
that’s golden!!
LOL, blucaso! I’ve also heard that nits taste just like chicken!
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
I have a split personality
And so do I!
All you have to do is uncheck that “update” when you’re reviewing the incoming auto updates.
If Windows cost $50, I’d buy it. Since it in fact costs $399, Microsoft can suck it.
If they find counterfeit software, they should give the user two weeks to pay for it or destroy all the data on that machine.
I’d agree to that process on my Mac. Wouldn’t you?
Yowza — that sounds to me like even MORE Switchers from Microsoft to Apple will be coming on board soon. The last straw for so many Windoze users, I am sure!
– DogoDoga
All your computer are belong to us=allyour base are belong to us
Sega Master System game ZERO WING
http://allyourbase.planettribes.gamespy.com/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us
Billybob, it’s from the old “All Your Base Are Belong To Us” video, that swept through the computing world a couple of years ago…
The gamespy AYBABTU site
Originally from a truly cheesy english translation of a Japanese game.
Video one is not as good as the others, but the voices should be familiar
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Sorry that should be Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
Ron:
“If they find counterfeit software, they should give the user two weeks to pay for it or destroy all the data on that machine.
I’d agree to that process on my Mac. Wouldn’t you?”
…how hard do you suppose it would be to make that process be 100% bug-free and 100% resistant to any exploits like viruses, trojan horses, and worms?
I wonder if this is Microsoft’s real response to Boot Camp?
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Excuse me, but you are supposed to register OS X when you install it. Don’t think Apple doesn’t have a way to do the same thing.
But MIcrosoft actually begining to check machines for piracy remotely is the beginning of the end for Windows.
Zero Wing Rhapsody very funny
http://allyourbase.planettribes.gamespy.com/video3_view.shtml
Now wait until they start offering this as a service to third-party software publishers.
“We will scan users drives for illicit copies of your software and give you the option of contacting the user directly or flipping a switch to make it unable to run or perhaps just notifying the police.”