Microsoft is in the news again but this time it is not about Windows 8. It is about Microsoft getting into trouble with Chinese citizens. Well a few months ago Microsoft sent out an update to all Windows XP Professional Operating Systems throughout the world to help them find any copies that were counterfeit. This update would install a program that had to have an authorization code of a legal copy of the operating system to stop the program from running. The program was designed to start up with a black desktop and then every hour it would refresh back to black in case someone changed the background. So anyone with an illegal copy of Windows XP would have a black desktop and not be able to do anything until they bought a legal copy of it from Microsoft. There also would be a permanent notice that would appear in the bottom right hand corner of the screen warning users that they had an illegal copy. Luckily Microsoft made it so that all other programs would run normally while having the black desktop.
Everything was going fine until a survey conducted by Tencent, one of the largest Internet service portals in China, protested the Microsoft campaign. Most of the people who took the survey were Chinese citizens who had illegal copies of Windows XP. They claimed that the legitimate copies of Windows XP were too expensive which turned them into counterfeiters just so they could enjoy the product. In China, a legal copy of XP cost 2,578 yuan which is roughly $376. I think this amount is ridiculous and I can understand why some people might want to ‘borrow’ Windows XP.
Guess what happened next, a lawsuit followed Microsoft’s campaign. It was lead by Dong Zhengwei (do not worry I could not pronounce his last name either), who is a lawyer, specializing in consumer rights protection. He said that it was illegal for Microsoft to potentially sabotage private computers and suggested a billion dollar fine against the cooperation. Dong said that the anti-piracy program would pose a threat to personal information and was considered a crime. This is because it is equivalent to hacking someone’s computer. Microsoft would easily take any personal information they wanted from anyone who owned a pirated version of Windows XP. The lawsuit ended up falling through but Microsoft agreed to try to find better ways of finding counterfeit software so that it does not endanger the personal information of its customers.
Yes, we all do have something that is illegal on our computers but just remember, that does not mean someone is not trying to find you. So keep ‘your’ items safe and be careful who you get it from.
1 comment:
Interesting entry, TechBot. My fiancee is Chinese and used to live in a suburb of Toronto that was heavily populated by Asians. The last time I visited him, his mother was there and wanted us to take her to one of the many Asian mini malls/ shopping plazas, and let me tell you, you would not believe the number of pirated dvds I saw for sale. I'm just guessing, of course, but I don't think the issue was that these people couldn't afford the "real" thing... I think they just wanted to watch the movie at home instead of at the theater where it had just opened.
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