Biden administration preparing to prevent Americans from using Kaspersky

I had thought updates were going to be blocked.

 

The question remains, how? UK blocks xxx via DNS, even the great firewall can be bypassed, so the block might be merely a formality, like sanctions. Unless they make it illegal to use Kaspersky, nothing might block it, except a social score.

 

Agreed, you can bypass anything. Still I was of the impression that the intention was to stop it from being used, not paid for. If the supposed threat was that it was stealing data then it seems odd you can use a free version. If the intention is to hurt their profits then a free version wouldn't make any difference here. I'm also unclear as to whether it will be illegal to use or just to sell it. I no longer use it so it's not a battle I'm looking to get into but I know others that do use it and it seems that for now at least that it will just be easier to use something else.

 

Kaspersky cannot sell their software or provide updates to the software to users from US. That means users whose IP addresses originate from US. Users themselves, if they want to, can use a VPN and log in from... lets say Canada or Mexico, and download software updates. An associate of mine who just renewed a 2-year license in March plans to do this until his subscription runs out.

Financial transactions with Kaspersky are strictly prohibited, but the use of Kaspersky by US individuals is not.

Here is the link to the "Final Determination" document from US department of commerce and it clearly states:

Please keep in mind that I am not a legal expert and I personally don't use Kaspersky. So please consult with your legal rep for advice in your particular case.

 

Last time I checked SmartScreen was not uploading files. Only hashes of files were uploaded. I understand that it in itself may be too much of a privacy concern for a lot of people, but it is not the same as uploading the file.

 

I can't seem to find anything that answers that one way or the other. If it indeed does not upload files I would have to assume that all unknown files will get blocked and will continue to be unknown. If they don't eventually get a copy of a file they will never know if it was safe or not. I'll just keep it disabled rather than have it deleting files it doesn't recognize.