M$ wants access to your private information

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by azumi21, Apr 9, 2006.

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  1. azumi21

    azumi21 Registered Member

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    Microsoft wants access to your private information - [crime-law]

    http://www.okgazette.com/news/templates/cover.asp?articleid=423&zoneid=7

    " Microsoft and other tech companies are currently pushing bills in various U.S. states that would allow them and others complete access to all data on a private computer and to all Internet traffic in and out of it in the name of providing better privacy.
    Called the "Computer Spyware Protection Act," House Bill 2083 would create fines of up to a million dollars for anyone using viruses or surreptitious computer techniques to break on to someone's computer without that person's knowledge and acceptance, according to the bill's state Senate author, Clark Jolley. "The bill has a clear prohibition on anything going in without your permission. You have to grant permission," said Jolley, R-Edmond. "You can look at your license agreement. It will say whether they have the ability to take that information or not."

    But therein lies the catch. If you click that "accept" button on the routine user's agreement, the proposed law would allow any company from whom you bought upgradable software the freedom to come onto your computer for "detection or prevention of the unauthorized use of or fraudulent or other illegal activities in connection with a network, service, or computer software, including scanning for and removing computer software prescribed under this act."

    That means that Microsoft (or another company with such software) can erase spyware or viruses. But if you have, say, a pirated copy of Excel - Microsoft (or companies with similar software) can erase it, or anything else they want to erase, and not be held liable for it. Additionally, that phrase "fraudulent or other illegal activities" means they can:

    -Let the local district attorney know that you wrote a hot check last month.
    -Let the attorney general know that you play online poker.
    -Let the tax commission know you bought cartons of cigarettes and didn't pay the state tax on them.
    -Read anything on your hard drive, such as your name, home address, personal identification code, passwords, Social Security number... etc., etc., etc. "
     
  2. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    That's it; no more american software for me. :D
    Because everything you buy there contains spyware (or should it be "delete what we don't like"-ware). :) :)


    Lamehand
     
  3. f3x

    f3x Registered Member

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    Please read in deep before posting link to "expert source"
    That spyware bill has nothing do do with microsoft (that i know of)
    It mainly define what a spyware is, what is prohiben do to as of software ethic.

    it's 12 page long...
    I've read some part.
    I've search/find for word such as relete/remove/uninstall and it does'nt involve MS deleting your file if they want it.
    Most important of all it only imply oklaoma.


    Summary
    http://ipcenter.bna.com/pic2/ip.nsf/id/BNAP-6LD2QK?OpenDocument


    Official page :
    http://www.okhighered.org/leg-info/2006/house.shtml

    Wich link to the actual house bill:
    http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2005-06HB/HB2083_int.rtf
     
  4. dread

    dread Registered Member

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    No it has nothing to do with microsoft but any company could come in your computer.
     
  5. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Well, one day all this will be a fact. Isn't that typical for the human nature : people controlling other people. My neighbors keep an eye on me too and call the police if I put my garbage bags on the street before 22h00.
    Even Wilders controls people and tell them what to do and not to do, closing threads, deleting posts, ...
    Why not the rest of the world, governments, companies, supermarkets, banks, etc. ... they are doing it already and they will improve their methods.
    Nothing surprises me anymore. In fact, who is blaming who, we all do it, sometimes with good intentions, sometimes with bad intentions, but where is the line ? :)
     
  6. azumi21

    azumi21 Registered Member

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    You need to 'read in deep' if you think all this is a description of spyware:

    ---
    “It prohibits them from taking things as basic as your home address, your first name, your first initial in combination with your last name, your passwords, any personal identification numbers you have, any biometric information, any Social Security, tax IDs, drivers licenses, account balances, overdraft histories — there is a clear prohibition on that,” Jolley said.

    Indeed, Sections 4 and 5 of the act specifically forbid anyone from doing so without the user’s permission.

    However, Section 6 of the act says such a prohibition “shall not apply” to “telecommunications carrier, cable operator, computer hardware or software provider or provider of information service” and won’t apply to those companies in cases of “detection or prevention of the unauthorized use of or fraudulent or other illegal activities.”
    ---

    M$ is the one pushing/lobbying this - because they want you to have a safer internet experience? lol

    Think about what they consider "unauthorized use, fraudulent, illegal activities" and how they plan on searching your HD while you are updating your Windows with your activeX/scripting on to get the 'update'. Not only M$, but all the other “shall not apply” list (telecommunications carrier, cable operator, computer hardware or software provider (M$) or provider of information service). They can delete what they want (if you're lucky, just all your free music dls and porn ;p), cripple your os, notify authorities.

    Just the beginning of a very bad thing.
     
  7. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    LOL indeed.
    The advantage of the good guys is that everybody trusts them, but is that really true?
    I wouldn't be surprised that even legitimate softwares spy on us and steal info from our computers, most probably with good intentions, but any info can be used in a good or bad way and that's the problem.
    Who gets that info and what does he do with it ?
     
  8. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    It would be a advantage for Microsoft, no more need of a validation program,
    you just bust into someone's computer and look what's on it and if it's "illegal"
    you take it of.

    The danger in this is ofcourse that they (MS) will decide what is illegal or not.
    There are country's on this planet where they did something like this on a larger scale and that was for some stupid ideoligy, this is only about money, not a real valid reason, and control over the user ofcourse.
    It has nothing to do with protecting users from spyware and other badware, maybe MS can call it super-DRM. :D

    I'm sorry but i call this utter stupidity.

    Lamehand
     
  9. azumi21

    azumi21 Registered Member

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  10. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    If they (MS) would try to do something like this on this side of the big pond they would get there share of trouble, and i mean big trouble.This is a bit more than integrating mediaplayer into the OS.
    Poor Oklahoma, no more internet for those people. :'(

    Well, they still have to vote for this bill, so there is the chance it will be thrown
    off the table.

    Lamehand.
     
  11. f3x

    f3x Registered Member

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    I still DO not know where they talk about deleting. It talk about collecting personnal information. RIGTH NOW, SUCH COMPAGNY MENTIONED ALREADY HAVE THAT RIGTH GRANTED. The bill is only to remove the rigth to fraudulent user. It's not more rigth for big compagny it's less rigth for spyware.
     
  12. Detox

    Detox Retired Moderator

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    Well, I don't know anything about "rigths" but I don't allow anyone to scan my computer without my explicit permission and I certainly will not use an OS which has such abilities built in for any entity.
     
  13. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    Quote from Slashdot.org


    f3x, it is not the part about the pirated software but the part wich i emphasised, (erase=delete).

    Lamehand.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2006
  14. azumi21

    azumi21 Registered Member

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    "detection or prevention of the unauthorized use of or fraudulent or other illegal activities in connection with a network, service, or computer software, including scanning for and removing computer software prescribed under this act."

    Removing = delete

    Scanning your HD for information = invasion of privacy

    Who is to determine what is "illegal and fraudulent"?
    You trust M$ (or any other software / hardware co / etc) to allow what you can have on your computer and what "penalty" for you?

    >_<!!!!!!!
     
  15. the Tester

    the Tester Registered Member

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    Doesn't Microsoft already have access to that info on your computer?
    How much searching does MS do when you use Windows Update? :shifty:
     
  16. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    the Tester;
    They might have access to the info on your computer when you use windows update but you still have the choice to use it or not and the updater doesn't delete random programs on your HD wich MS might deem unsuitable or illegal.
    Once you sign an agreement like mentioned earlier in this thread, well that's a whole other ballgame, no more choice and no control over your own box.

    I personally have not heard of anybody's information being used by MS, gained through the use of windows update, but that is just my experience.

    Greetings
    Lamehand.
     
  17. donsan

    donsan Registered Member

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    you know the more i read about all this crap with windows and what can happen to your computer just makes me that much happier about buying a mac.don't get me wrong i have three computer in my house and one of then is a mac mini and i find myself using it more then the windows machines. it's nice to not have it loaded down with spyware,trojans and virus programs.
     
  18. f3x

    f3x Registered Member

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    the question is :
    What computer software are prescribed under the act:

    The program that can be removed are not illegal program.
    It's program that respond to the following criteria: (see below)
    That law bypass about isp is basicly an ok for isp to sell antispyware software.


     
  19. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    @f3x;

    And because they have this nice set of rules you think they are not gonna make 'mistakes'. An you no, you can't hold them responsible for it when they do, that is convinient isn't it? ;)

    The question arises why do they want on my computer to do something about spyware/adware?, i'am just a user not a malwarewriter.It would be more logical to do something to stop the ones who make this stuff.
    This bill makes everybody a computercriminal and therefore you must give up your privacy.

    regards
    Lamehand
     
  20. Togg

    Togg Registered Member

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    Many years ago, I read that the MS EULA that was put in place for 2000 SP3 (and all subsequent updates) gave MS the right to do just about anything they wanted to on your system. This info came from a rabidly anti MS site called Radsoft.net and so may be total fiction or grossly exaggerated. See what you think; http://radsoft.net/news/20020905,00.html

    I have always thought it interesting that there doesn't seem to have been any official explanation of why Windows creates index.dat or User Assist files, both of which track what the user has done on the system, unless there was some method for someone to 'collect' that information. The detail collected doesn't seem very likely to assist a tech in dealing with a system crash. Perhaps I just missed the official news release on that?

    Another article I saw suggested that XP spent an awful lot of its time 'phoning home' to MS with various bits of information about what was being done on the computer. This presumably led to the creation of tools like XP Antispy, which turns off such unnecessary 'services'. It also raises the possibility that the XP firewall only registers inbound connections because they didn't want users to be alarmed at the outward bound traffic XP generated itself (or is that a bit too much of a conspiracy theory perhaps?).
     
  21. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    I think they exagerate and they are not offering any proof of what they claim on that page, at least i didn't see it.I've been using XP-pro for a couple of years now and i haven't witnessed such behaviour as they (Radsoft) describe.

    Those index.dat files are certainly a mistery and one of the reasons i don't use WU.They (MS) can offer to me what updates are available but i decide what get's installed.

    regards
    Lamehand.
     
  22. f3x

    f3x Registered Member

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    if they make the mistake to not follow the law... it's their problem.
    You can't blame a law on the basis that ppl wil not folow it.



    The answear is $$$$$$
    It's basicly an open door for thecnician and isp to sell antispyware solution
    And even better one click idiot-firendly, alwais updated (with isp) scanner.
    In any case it's not mandatory.



    ----------------------------------------


    Now i do not take any side yet.
    I Just condone the fact that no one take the time to read and understand the news on the net.
    This topic has a very anti-M$ name and i wanted to test the author argumnetation.
    Most of product bashing are done on Anectodal evidence* and are very shallow.
    However you have prooven yourself very well which is good.



    * You should see the dilbert episode about conique cubicule syndrome ;)
     
  23. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    If anything, this is not bashing a product like the ones from MS, it was only used
    as an example for the sake of argument, the real point here, wich you seem to mis, is this unholy bill and the attempt to restrict your control and freedom of choice.

    regards
    Lamehand
     
  24. azumi21

    azumi21 Registered Member

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    there is a serious failure to communicate this to f3x and i no longer care to. cheers to you lamehand
     
  25. Lamehand

    Lamehand Registered Member

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    Well, we have tried and that's all you can do.


    Regards
    Lamehand
     
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