Microsoft to develop software to monitor employee habits?

Microsoft to develop software to monitor employee habits?

 

Microsoft develops more Spyware so Employers can easily spy on Employees! whats the difference between this and a Keylogger? it uses definitions? does it connect to the Cloud, LOL

I think their new thing is helping originations spy on people. Like Windows 8 NSA Edition! I think my next thing is retiring my Box for a Linux Box for things I do online ECT and use my windows box strictly for media, like my huge collection of music and stuff. too bad Linux applications definatly dont compare to windows applications. or I would switch altogether...

 

Workers of the world, unplug! You have nothing to lose but your monitoring.

 

This is one of those problematic areas, IMHO.

If the employee is doing the task he/she is supposed to do, then what's there to fear? Will the employee fear to be caught for doing something he/she is supposed to do?

I'd do the exact same thing. I'd expect my employees to do what they're being paid to do, and not spending their time watching some football game online, like some employees do in some companies. I know this for a fact; I got relatives who used to do this in their former company, now with new owners, and with new ideas. No more no less.

A different thing would be to spy employees while they're on the toilet... This would be a no go...

If you don't agree with the fact that your employer has the right to ensure you (the employee) is doing his/her work instead of jerking around... Well, send your resignation letter; maybe someone else, ready to actually do the job and earn money will accept the terms.

 

As if this doesn't already exist.

Many companies have their employees go through their enterprise proxy, which can record everything they do and has benefits besides that as well.

 

Yep, pretty much the way my employer does things. They don't seem to mind occasional and brief forays into sports or news-related sites, amongst others. It's the more serious ones such as pr0n that they will frown upon, and even at that they've given a warning as opposed to immediately sacking those who have ventured there, so they're quite lenient and forgiving about it.

 

Yeah usually it's about lettign people know that they can see what they're doing, not about firing your workforce for infringing once in a while.

Proxies have the benefit of being able to control content, cache content, and record who's doing what. Very helpful in an enterprise situation, and you can keep it on your trusted network.

 

I'm not sure how they do it, but a pop-up warning is generated in the web page of the client machines if an url is clicked on that's deemed inappropriate by the monitoring arrangement in place. It basically warns the end user that they should proceed only if they deem it necessary (work-related) and that they are being "Flagged and monitored". Obviously they are scanning everything that comes and goes through their proxy, although they seem to do things on a very professional level, with well written policies available on their Intranet that all employees are encouraged and expected to read. The policies enforced, mainly through scripts, on the employee machines are highly retrictive as well, locking down the machines with least user privilege, making it virtually impossible to download or install unauthorized programs.

 

Yep. Makes sense. Proxy servers are a really strong way to keep employees safe and in line.

 

Unfortunately for your idea, the OS makes very little difference when it comes to online monitoring. Linux has its own nooks and crannies if forensic investigators are looking at your physical system. The old "blame Microsoft" routine doesn't work anymore when it comes to this stuff and you no longer need to be infected with malware to be spied upon.

On topic, no, this isn't really "news", MS is just joining in on an already thriving market.

 

I wasn't talking about online monitoring, I was talking about OS monitoring, If I dont want to be monitored online I would use either a VPN, a Proxy, a chain of proxies or Tor, and be on some idiots open wifi.

we can sit on here all day and debate the issues but in the end I would rather go with an opensource OS than an os that will have an easy access Backdoor in the near future!

 

This isn't a backdoor... Do not think that this is MS spying on you.

This is a program like any other that will allow a corporation to implement and deploy it within the OS as a way to keep track of their employees.

This is not a backdoor in any sense of the word.

 

I also didn't say the software in OP was a Backdoor I said

"I think their new thing is helping originations spy on people." as in Microsoft new little agenda, they are working and developing with the NSA!

 

This is not a backdoor, this is worse... It comes in line with all the latest ideas about analyzing human gestures or other behavior patterns and then pretending that you know how someone will react in a specific situation, if he is trustworthy, if he is a criminal, and so on. This kind of action is both immoral and will probably yield wrong results most of the times.

 

+1
Thank you so much, Im glad their are still people out their who are not submitting to all of this NWO era crap!

 

Exactly. What we do here is block EVERY thing but a white list of IP's, Use Red Hat desktops with Full Disk Encryption (only IT can boot the comptuters) and Default Deny. We do monitor everything as well but unless you are circumventing security measures you can't be doing anything you would want to keep private as nothing can run and no unknown IP address can be reached or E-mail address Messaged, and if you are cirumventing security measures you have other things to worry about than privacy.

When at work you don't and shouldn't be doing things that you would want privacys from (personal stuff). That is NOT what you are being paid for. We do give staff "staff wifi" that is isolated from everything else and we don't monitor that. But it can only be accessed in the lunch room.

 

No. Simply wrong.

This has nothing to do with anything you're talking about. This is a tool that Windows Enterprise will use to allow Companies to monitor employees without the need for a proxy server, which they almost certainly use as it is.

I have no clue why this is even under the privacy forum area let alone "problems." This is a monitoring tool that would not be running on your computer unless your company sets it up.

This is absolutely not worse than a back door, which will effect home and enterprise users and would be used by a hacker.

 

It seems to me that you didn't read the entire article. It has nothing to do with proxy servers or internet monitoring, but with a form of analyzing human gestures or other behavior patterns. I quote from inside the article:
"As discussed above, scores may be computed based on phrases, as well as gestures, mannerisms, and patterns. Mannerisms may include visual cues such as wearing dark glasses in a video conference, wearing unacceptable clothing to a business meeting, and similar ones."

 

I'm not saying it has anything to do with proxy servers or internet monitoring. I'm making an analogy.

Or, as you quoted, not dressing properly or wearing sunglasses.

This is just like monitoring bad internet habits like going on Facebook except instead of utilizing the keyboard or a proxy it utilizes a webcam.

This isn't some backdoor that'll be on your home computer for your boss to spy on you during your free time. It'll be just like a security camera in the office except personalized.

Companies can opt-in to using it and they have the right to ensure their workers are in fact working.

 

Whenever this subject comes up, it always ends up missing the point. The point is simple. When you're at work and being paid to do a job, you don't need to be browsing the web or playing at Facebook. It's their equipment. It's time they pay you to perform a service for them. If I were the employer, the workers wouldn't get any internet access at all, unless it was specifically needed to perform the job. This doesn't interfere with any persons "rights", unless you think it's your "right" to goof off at work. If the employer starts demanding that you deploy something like this on your home network, then you have a right to complain and refuse. If this becomes a built in component in Windows, then start worrying.

 

I second that


HKEY1952

 

I I were an employer, I would let the workers do exactly as they want, including surfing the internet, as long as they meet their deadlines and do their job properly. In the end it really depends on the type of job we are talking about, and on the style of management an employer is using. My way of seeing things is based on results, not on keeping workers on a constant surveillance

As for this kind of technology being added to Windows, I doubt it; Microsoft will probably want to earn some money from selling it separately to the interested companies.

 

There is no "backdoor" here or in Windows at all. You're reading way, way too far into this, and I'm not telling you that to argue with you. I'm telling you and everybody else that because people keep getting distracted by these sorts of stories, while the real troubles go on unnoticed (on purpose). Trust me, there is nothing in this issue to see here. It's worthless, not even close to being worthy of worrying over. There are also no "backdoors" in Windows. Windows is just a poorly designed OS that doubles as a pack rat when it comes to data. There's nothing insidious about it, it's just design stupidity.

I'm not saying that as a Windows fanboy or to keep you on Windows..I really don't care if you use an XBox to work with. Again, I'm saying it to keep the focus on the real issues and real threats. All the "privacy advocates" around here and elsewhere will jump on any little thing, when 90% of it means nothing. Mobile phones, Facebook, SOPA, Google.. these are the hot zones, not some silly little "We see you" crap at work.

 

dw426 your right windows doesn't have a back door at the moment, its just kinda creepy their working with the NSA, seems like in the future they will have implemented some kind of filter that recognizes different behavior in windows....I guess if they really wanted to spy all they need to do is send fake updates to popular software and Bam they can see everything your doing on your Machine regardless....

http://projects.wsj.com/surveillance-catalog/#/

 

lol... it's creepy that they worked with the NSA? I guess you won't be finding an OS that you can use... since the NSA has worked extensively on the Linux kernel.