“Microsoft recently used the U.S. court system to shut down the Waledac botnet, introducing a new tactic in the battle against hackers,” McMillan reports. “Speaking at the RSA security conference in San Francisco, Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney said that the technology industry needs to think about more ‘social solutions.’
“‘I actually think the health care model … might be an interesting way to think about the problem,’ Charney said. With medical diseases, there are education programs, but there are also social programs to inspect people and quarantine the sick,” McMillan reports.
“The idea that Internet service providers might somehow step up in the fight against malware is not new. The problem, however, is cost,” McMillan reports. “So who would foot the bill? ‘Maybe markets will make it work,’ Charney said. But an Internet usage tax might be the way to go. ‘You could say it’s a public safety issue and do it with general taxation,’ he said.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, for the love of Jobs! You want to see some real tea parties? Enact an Internet usage tax to pay for Microsoft’s ineptitude.
How about this instead: Microsoft, which raked in $14.569 billion in 2009 net profits alone and has some $31.5 billion in cash on-hand, along with their Windows PC sufferers (at checkout time) pay for their mistakes, not the U.S. Mac users who were, are, and will continue to be more than smart enough to avoid Microsoft’s shiteous Windows like the plague that it is.
And, oh by the way, what the hell happened to personal responsibility in the USA? You bought that Windows PC piece of junk, you face the consequences of your stupid decision and you pay for the full “experience.”
@Overtaxed:
To each his own. However, I think your second sentence, first line, applies to the US in spades.
Aaarrrggggg (pirate talk)
to many cocktails to make a good arguement, other than to say
Bull Shit!!
I guess they could add it to the obamacare bill and pass with 51 votes
Just so everyone understands; the people who own the infected computers would be the ones footing the tax bill, most bot nets are peer to peer with no main host, this whole thing is stupid, why why why is windows even allowed to be sold in this country, the us govt should consider it a threat to national security
Obviously Microsoft has yet to copy the security code in osx, what’s taking so long Ballmer? I’m not paying a penny for your POS os problems.
I think it’s a GREAT idea! As long as only users of MS Windows have to pay it, and it’s clearly spelled out for them the reason they’re paying it.
That’s the ONLY way it makes sense.
@ overtaxed in the usa
Are you perchance a Windows user? Or is it just willful ignorance for you to not understand the concept of ‘shared risk;’ i.e., insurance of any form. I also think you may need to reread your old copy of the Constitution again. Specifically check out Section 8 about “The Congress shall have Power … and provide for the … general Welfare of the United States.” Or does ‘Providing for the Health of the People’ not fall under ‘general welfare’ for you? I’d not be surprised to see you say no.
Now, back on topic:
Calling the security failure of Windows a “public safety issue” is silly. Wanting a tax levied to clean their mess is wanton hubris. Priceless.
“Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney”
this got to be comedy hour
Since Windows based computers are the culprits, we should collect and destroy them. Microsoft will no longer be needed, therefore, they can be liquidated to pay for virus-free Macs. All will be saved.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Next problem……..
@Overtax
A big part of the need for HC reform is that paying the highest prices for all those unfortunate enough to need our help is not sustainable. Getting people the doctor early instead of the ER later saves money. The other big piece is letting many who can afford it pay nothing until they need care makes it proportionally more expensive for all who act responsably and buy insurance.
As it is right now everyone in the US gets healthcare it’s just that the model of delivery costs too much. 17% of GDP in USA verses 9% for countries with universal coverage, and with a higher standard of care. Also people opting out of paying while they’re healthy is like buying auto insurance only on the day you crash your car.
Not saying I like what is being proposed currently, but what we have currently totally sucks. 37th in the world for quality while paying nearly double the going rate.
The way I see it, Microsoft owes us Macintosh users compensation for all the spam their Windows PC’s generate and send to us.
@ Overtaxed in the USA
You contradict yourself in your last post by saying “For those that cannot (due to infirmities to unforeseen disasters), I fully support some publicly-supported health care” from your previous posts. You can’t straddle the fence on the issue of a public health option.
Also, you can’t compare an internet tax to public healthcare because, unlike technology, most people do not have a choice in preventing ailments. The public option is meant for those not as fortunate as yourself, the children and the mentally disabled who work equally as hard within their means to do well. There will be abusers of the system, yes, but to continue to believe in a meritocracy, you are both naive and spoiled. Most opposers to the public option are those, and you may be one of them, that feel they deserve what they have based on personal merit. But access granted based on socioeconomic privilege is not in the constitution, and it is therefore, according to you, not right to limit access based on such criteria.
This is not just to you, but to all opposed to the public health option: Honestly think about what is right for people, not based on personal experience or out of spite of the loafers. And after doing so, write or call your congressman/senator with suggestions and ideas. If you don’t feel comfortable or understand the responsibility in letting those in charge know of your thoughts, you have no legitimacy in arguing.
I would pay a tax to keep all windows machines off the internet.
You can call it . . .
The Microsoft Tax!!!
This douchebag wants to socialize the healthcare of Windows machines as if they were perfect instruments corrupted through sheer force of hacker malice. I can only hope the session that this cocktwaddler spoke at had a Q&A;portion, where a non-brain damaged attendee politely suggested that Charney get back on his meds.
Tell you what, Scott: why don’t you tear your shitshow code base down to scorched earth, make your registry into something that doesn’t resemble a microscopic view of Paris Hilton’s private parts, then maybe you won’t have the problems you’re trying to pawn off on people instead of FSCKING FIXING THEM.
Of course, once your “Windows X” is released, Microsoft will be bankrupt. Jobs knows you can innovate for shit, and all your legacy system whiners will have their compatibility broken so your lock-in will be destroyed.
This is a great time to be a Mac user. M$ can’t change their OS in any meaningful way because they can’t make things people want to use; they can only peddle things people HAVE to use. Watching the corpse in Redmond balloon on the gases of its own rot is such sweet, sweet schadenfreude.
Will the headlines tomorrow read “Scott Charney, formerly Microsoft’s Security Chief, today was committed to a mental institution after making very bizarre comments at an RSA conference. Microsoft refused comment on the matter, but a well placed insider did say they never really took him or security very seriously to begin with.”
You statist-marxists are sick. Public health care is not a right for anyone. It will get taken down in lawsuits if Mabobama nukes it in. People who are truly disabled already get plenty of assistance. No free rides for everyone. This isn’t China or USSR. Move there if you idiot drones like it so much. STOP ruining the US. Global Warming caused by man is BS. Mars, Pluto, Saturn have warmed at the exact same rate. It is the sun. Stop using anything and everything to steal the hard working populations private property, money, and rights!!!!!! 2010 and 2012 will vote you nimrods right back out and we will undo anything you enact. Union (leaders) scum and statists have been engaging in a stealth attack on our way of life and wonderful country for about 100 years. We will stop you. Screw you!
You road bareback with that trashy hooker, here, take my taxes to pay your hospital bills.
The fact that I haven’t gotten laid since the 90’s is irrelevant.
Shouldn’t the headline end with “Windows-infected PCs”?
Well Micro(soft in the head) put there collective brains together( which equals half a brain) to come up with another great plan.
WTF does health care have to do with MS proposing an internet usage tax?
WTF is wrong with some of you (Hank)? Every thread has to devolve into this bullshit?
Are you infected, “Hank?”
</rhetorical question>
Get some focus and stick to the subject of the thread.
“Mars, Pluto, Saturn have warmed at the exact same rate.”
Oops. Sorry. I didn’t realize this was a complete lunatic.
@ Hank
I can’t decide which Mark Twain quote fits you best:
—“Let us be thankful for the fools; but for them the rest of us could not succeed.”
—“You really must get your mind out and have it repaired.”
—“It is discouraging to try to penetrate a mind like yours. You ought to get it out & dance on it. That would take some of the rigidity out of it. And you ought to use it sometimes; that would help. If you had done this every now & then along through life, it would not have petrified.”
Maybe we could have a poll to decide.
JuSt bought the domain
http://www.Hank-2012.com
Sadly, a lot of people only think about MS as the purveyor of technology, so if they recommend it, it must be the thing to do.
Hm is exactly right. For those of you hell bent on never paying for another’s health choices, you must be self insured. Because the whole concept of insurance is based on the collective. The pooling of risk. 50% of your premiums go to pay for others’ health expenses.
Haha. That must really piss off you unhinged types.