“If your XP software is up-to-date and online, it negotiates its validity with Microsoft servers every day. Nothing personal. Just part of Microsoft’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) system protecting Redmond’s property… checking to see if your Windows software (and heaven only knows what else) is perfectly valid,” Email Battles reports. “Evoking memories of RealNetworks efforts to protect themselves from their loyal customers, innocent Microsoft officials explained to the discoverer, Lauren Weinstein, that this constant DRM enforcer is obviously not a constant DRM enforcer. Instead, they averred, the feature simply allows Microsoft to disable the validation checker, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), if it should ever malfunction.”
“Silly us. Like Weinstein, we figured the daily validation check might allow Microsoft to remotely monitor you or pull the plug on your system, should you ever displease them down the road… perhaps, by refusing to buy a mandated Windows update, or discontinuing a Windows subscription. Indeed, Microsoft officials admitted that, in the process of validating, they trap the IP address and date/timestamp,” Email Battles reports. “In addition to adding more details about you to its information reservoir, the company is blatantly letting you know who really controls the computer you bought. You’ve been owned.”
Full article here.
“When you’re the Evil Empire, it’s only natural to get a bad rap for everything you do. Microsoft gets bad-mouthed a hundred times a week for things that would be perfectly acceptable coming from anyone else. Given that level of criticism, it’s easy to ignore the times when they’re just completely, egregiously wrong,” Ed Bott writes for ZDNet. “The uproar over Microsoft’s new Windows Genuine Advantage authentication software, which is now being pushed onto Windows users’ machines via Windows Update, is one of those occasions. Someone at Microsoft just pushed the Stupid button. And things aren’t going to get better until they stop pushing it.”
Microsoft “should send a new update that disables and/or removes the WGA tool immediately, until it’s fixed,” Bott suggests. “They should set up a toll-free hotline that any Windows user can call if they’re experiencing problems with Windows Genuine Activation. (Microsoft already offers toll-free support for anyone who suspects they may be infected with a virus or a worm, so this doesn’t require a new infrastructure.) The agents on this line should have the authority to help a user override WGA problems. They should apologize, publicly and profusely, for mixing an anti-piracy tool in with security updates and take steps to make sure that it never happens again. And they should find whoever pushed the Stupid button in this case and put them on telephone support duty for the next six months. That might be an appropriate punishment.”
Full article here.
“Some security experts are troubled by Microsoft’s decision to deliver prerelease software to millions of Windows users without clearly notifying them. People may not realize they are participating in a trial and have in essence become unsuspecting guinea pigs, they said,” Joris Evers reports for CNET News. “‘It shouldn’t be offered to such a wide audience without more notification of the fact it is beta,’ said Russ Cooper, a senior scientist at Cybertrust, a security vendor in Herndon, Va. ‘Even with more notification, I think it should not be offered in the way it is.'”
“Some suggest that pushing the antipiracy tool out as a ‘high priority’ update in the same way as security fixes is a ploy to get people to install it. ‘I don’t see any way for Microsoft to get the software run by a large fraction of the user base except by calling it ‘high priority,” said David Walker, an IT professional in Las Cruces, N.M. Running the tool doesn’t offer any immediate benefit for users, Walker noted. ‘You could argue that this is mislabeling,’ he said. ‘I suppose it is a high priority for Microsoft to get rid of counterfeit software…It’s not critical for the continued operation of the user’s computer,'” Evers reports. “Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, agreed. ‘While I have been supportive of Microsoft’s Genuine Windows Program, there are no circumstances that I can think of where it makes sense to use Windows Update or Automatic Updates to distribute beta or nonfinal code,’ he said. Automatic Updates is the update feature in Windows.”
Full article here.
Why do some people seem surprised and upset that Microsoft would do such a thing? Who knows what Windows is tracking and doing deep down in its spaghetti code? Not even Microsoft themselves can seem to unravel it to update it, right (see Windows Vista)? We like using our Macs when traveling for more reasons than just ease-of-use, superior operating system, reliability, good looks, and lower cost of ownership. We’d rather not be tracked like tagged animals.
Advertisements:
• Introducing the super-fast, blogging, podcasting, do-everything-out-of-the-box MacBook. Starting at just $1099.
• Get the new iMac with Intel Core Duo for as low as $31 A MONTH with Free shipping!
• Get the MacBook Pro with Intel Core Duo for as low as $47 A MONTH with Free Shipping!
• Apple’s new Mac mini. Intel Core, up to 4 times faster. Starting at just $599. Free shipping.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
Related article:
Microsoft hides fact that ‘Windows Genuine Advantage’ antipiracy spyware phones home every boot up – June 09, 2006
All of your bases are belong to us…
there’s plenty of reasons i choose not to run bootcamp
add this one to the end of the list.
People may not realize they are participating in a trial and have in essence become unsuspecting guinea pigs
Is this referring to WGA or Windows itself?
so much spyware on windows – whats one more
just to be the first to say it, Windoze is just so lame…
” Instead, they averred, the feature simply allows Microsoft to disable the validation checker, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), if it should ever malfunction.”
How nice of them to be so concerned about their customers. Perhaps they could just have it disable Windows itself if there is ever any problem. Then again, they would probably never be able to re-enable it.
How do you know that Apple isn’t doing the samething?
MS Windows, the King of spying on you, your computer and what you do.
“…or pull the plug on your system, should you ever displease them down the road… perhaps, by refusing to buy a mandated Windows update, or discontinuing a Windows subscription.”
I think that’s maybe a tad bit ridiculous.
So, Microsoft distibutes DRM software with its software updates? Of course, they’re much more concerned with protecting their assests than they are with protecting the assets of users!
“How do you know that Apple isn’t doing the samething?”
Because Steve’s a nice lad. He would tell us if he was doing something like that……wouldn’t he?……….
Daddy,
There have been no Apple Genuine Advantage critical updates sent out by Apple, that’s how we know Apple isn’t doing the same thing.
Duh!
Daddy: Somehow I doubt that Apple is doing the same thing — but I don’t know for sure!
How can we know for sure that this same thing is not happening on our Macs?
Someone?… Anyone?…
they should find whoever pushed the Stupid button in this case and put them on telephone support duty for the next six months
But I don’t want to talk to a bellowing Steve Ballmer if I have to call Micro$oft for support!
Darwin = open source
Besides, OS X doesn’t even require a product key. There’s no way they can keep an eye on whether or not it’s pirated.
There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, now, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
You people are so STUUUPIIIDDD!!!
Even with WGA people LOVE MY OPERATING SYSTEM!!!
They can’t get enough
like crack addicted hos,
like Enderle’s wife,
they just CAN’T GET ENOUGH!
Stupid Mac users, only Windows gives you spyware embedded right in the OS!!!
Daddy: “How do you know that Apple isn’t doing the same thing?”
It’s very easy. Just install “Little Snitch” any time an App or process tries to go out on the network, a dialog pops up asking if you want to allow or deny the connection.
I’m sure there are over 100,000 people with this installed (OK I’m being conservative in my estimate) and they are mostly power users. If Apple did something like this, you would read about it here within hours.
When adobe started doing this, it was reported immediately. Apple wouldn’t be this stupid. I’d dare say they don’t even care. If you Pirate the OS, it only means you bought a Mac fairly recently – no harm done. If that machine is too slow for the new OS, you buy a new Mac and Apple wins. Viral Marketing via pirated software.
Isn’t this the type of thing the “Little Snitch” utility is suppose to detect and report?
^^^^ correction… only windows gives you spyware, Full stop.
… wow, I daresay you’re right.
I used to be proud of myself,
but now I’m just self-amazed!
I made a shitty OS and took over the world!
Who else could do such a thing?
“How can we know for sure that this same thing is not happening on our Macs?”
Use Little Snitch. It’ll tell you exactly who/what is trying to phone home.
Is it so impossible for big internet companies to only collect minimal information about their users? Its a bit depressing that the only way to remain anonymous is to use proxy servers every day. By the way every US citizen needs to call their senators office and let them know that they dont want the net neutrality legislation passed. The government is supposed to protect the interests of consumers and not serve only the interests of the telecoms.
My solitaire crashed!
I look ahead to Vista
WIll it even ship?
…
Stupid frankenbox!
With SpaghettiCode Inside™
I’ll trust Gates no more
…
Oh noes, I’m locked out!
DRM spyware caught me
MicroShaft Strikes Back
Internet Explorer 7
IE7 which you can download now in beta checks your OS to make sure it is a genuine copy. It also checks your copy of MS Office for the same.