"Microsoft peaks into your closet"

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01101001

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 7, 2005
Messages
102
There is an article in the Toronto Star (Aug1-05) in regards
to WGA titled 'Microsoft peaks into your closet'. In part the
article states:

"To verify that you have a legitimate copy, all Microsoft has to
do is glance around your computer's living room, so to speak. There
no need to go snooping through the drawers. By simply matching the
"product key" stored on your computer with the product you have, Microsoft
can tell whether it is genuine or not.

But under a new policy, Microsoft has decided to hunt through your
computer for alot more than a valid product key.

Among other things, Microsoft now records the make and model of your
computer, all your hardware devices, your region and language settings,
a code that uniquely identifies your computer, your Internet address,
and even the name, revision number and revision date of your computer's
BIOS or basic input-output system."

Microsoft claims that it does not collect any personally identifying
information, but this article indicates they do not live up to that
assurance.

Is this accurate? Is our privacy at risk?
 
I dont agree with it but the bottom line today is either.

1) dont use it - windows
2) dont update

Thats it, no if ands or buts about it, now if someone sues it may change or if enough people complain but otherwise, these 2 options are it.

Now before some posts.. just get the "hack"to get around it.. the answer #2 still applies if your going to go to the trouble of bypassing it then dont complain about it because the number of people who will actually bypass it isnt even equal to a drop in the ocean in comparison to the number of copies out there
 
Oh noez! MS knows what kind of computer I have! :eek:

Oh wait, so do many other people. Like Valve, and Blizzard and probably a lot more people.

Not something that I'm going to lose sleep over.

Valve knows a hell of a lot more about you than MS does. Funny that hardly anyone, IF anyone has ever complained about that. The real issue is that so many people think they're l33t if they jump on the anti-MS wagon.
 
It can't tell if it is Bobby or Susie's comp. Even by collecting the name given the comp. If they go by just that then they think that someone named "This one duh" owns my computer.
 
I always laugh when people speak openly about Microsoft knowing some useless bit of information, like what BIOS revision you have. Government agencies are reading out e-mail (at least scanning through keyword filters), but we choose to get upset with Microsoft instead. We're being recorded walking down city streets, but oh no....Microsoft knows what video card I have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
djnes said:
I always laugh when people speak openly about Microsoft knowing some useless bit of information, like what BIOS revision you have. Government agencies are reading out e-mail (at least scanning through keyword filters), but we choose to get upset with Microsoft instead. We're being recorded walking down city streets, but oh no....Microsoft knows what video card I have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah no kidding. If we knew what all these data houses and government agencies had on file about us many people would go into shock. Employment history, school, SSN's driver's license, criminal record, credit card #'s, credit card statements, usage history, hobbies, deepest-darkest fears, etc. Damn.

I really couldn't care less if MS knows how totally l33t my rig is. :cool:
 
01101001 said:
Microsoft claims that it does not collect any personally identifying
information, but this article indicates they do not live up to that
assurance.

Is this accurate? Is our privacy at risk?
Click to expand...

Not entirely.

From MS own WGA FAQs:

Q:
What information is collected from my computer?

A:
The genuine validation process will collect information about your system, such as Windows product key, PC manufacturer, and operating system version, to determine if Windows is genuine. This process does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you or contact you. The complete list of information collected in the validation process is shown below:

OEM product key
PC Manufacturer
OS version
PID/SID
BIOS info (make, version, date)
BIOS MD5 Checksum
User Locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
System Local (language version of the operating system)


Its not like Microsoft is "searching" through your hard drive either for the hardware level information since that can easily be obtained through querying WMI information. The rest of the information is standard system variables so again MS is not "searching" through peoples HDDs for the above information.
 
If you want to have a flexible license, IE, one you can install on more than one motherboard, buy a RETAIL LICENSE.

If you are using the license under the terms you agreed to, this will not affect you.
 
Hey just dont have a computer if your so scared of the info they gain about your late night jackoffs :)
 
I was more curious than concerned about the editorial myself, but that isn't
to say I don't have privacy/security concerns. To say that my IP (for instance)
is "some useless bit of information" is, well ... you know what it is.


If you are using the license under the terms you agreed to, this will not affect you.
Click to expand...

It would IF Microsoft was not honouring the terms of the EULA they had us agree to.
And I did say IF.



Hey just dont have a computer if your so scared of the info they gain about your late night jackoffs :)
Click to expand...



Yea, that's a really big concern. (insert comical facial expression here) :rolleyes:

And thank you for the clarification, SJConsultant.
 
Did the Toronto Star's headline really read "Microsoft peaks into your closet?" Or was it "Microsoft peeks into your closet?"
 
I'm with djnes on this one. The government is lobbying for a nationwide identification card system for everyone in the US, and people waste their time bitching over software vendors actually doing exactly what their licenses say to begin with.

If you want the freedom to not be tied to a system, don't buy OEM licenses.
 
GreNME said:
The government is lobbying for a nationwide identification card system for everyone in the US
Click to expand...

One: we already have a national ID. It's called a Social Security Number--you know, that magic number that FDR swore up and down would not be used as a personal identifier or a form of accepted ID. Driver's licenses are up there with SSNs as a uniform national ID, even though they're issued by the states instead of the federal government.

Two: how exactly does the government lobby itself?

Three: there's currently no serious Congressional movement for a national ID, and such a system is not on the horizon. If someone in Congress was serious about this, they would've inserted it into an appropriations bill and that would be that.
 
No joke about the SSN. Everything I do they ask me for my SSN, when it was supposed to never be used as a form of ID. Hmmm..
 
Terpfen said:
One: we already have a national ID. It's called a Social Security Number--you know, that magic number that FDR swore up and down would not be used as a personal identifier or a form of accepted ID. Driver's licenses are up there with SSNs as a uniform national ID, even though they're issued by the states instead of the federal government.

Two: how exactly does the government lobby itself?

Three: there's currently no serious Congressional movement for a national ID, and such a system is not on the horizon. If someone in Congress was serious about this, they would've inserted it into an appropriations bill and that would be that.
Click to expand...
Nothing disappoints me more than having my greatest fears about the utter ignorance of the American population reinforced.

For your fucking edification:
  1. It's called the RealID Act.
  2. Looky here! Slipped into an appropriations bill!
  3. Getting pushed through Congress and Senate in such a short fucking time while backed by partisan pressure sure as hell sounds like "lobbying" to me. Whomever told you politicians can't lobby lied to you.
  4. How it affects the ignorant masses who are more concerned with Brad and Jen, American Idol, or pointless software licensing issues:
Starting three years from now, if you live or work in the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver's license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards.

The Real ID Act hands the Department of Homeland Security the power to set these standards and determine whether state drivers' licenses and other ID cards pass muster. Only ID cards approved by Homeland Security can be accepted "for any official purpose" by the feds.
Click to expand...

Welcome back to reality.

Now, does Microsoft actually following through with their EULA seem so fucking pervasive from that perspective? You sign more important information away when you fill out a satisfaction survey or enter a drawing to win whatever shiny item is on display at the mall or when you sign liability papers to play a game at the local paintball course. And yet how much outrage is there against those things? Not much. Microsoft is way at the end of the list of people you need to be worrying about doing something malicious with any personal data about you. Your phone company is a bigger threat, followed by your bank, followed by whatever large stores you have a credit card with.

Perspective is key here, and what I'm saying is that bitching over this shows a distinct lack of perspective. You can disagree about whether you think it's a lack of perspective, but unless you have done as much fucking homework as I have on the issue of personal privacy and the threats to it, don't call bullshit on what you apparently have no clue of.

Next time, don't make claims unless you are absolutely sure you aren't going to look like an ass for talking shit and not knowing the ignorance of your words.
 
GreNME said:
fucking edification:
Click to expand...

Personally I generally find fucking edifying
in fact without a little "uplifting" its generally hard to do :p

While your facts are deplorably true,
being correct is generally enough without the emphatic profanity
especially for someone of your demonstrated verbal skills :p

Terpfen, now that Im subscribed to this thread Im sure any retort will include a means to get back on topic and be strictly within the rules. ;)
 
Just for the record, I pointed out that disagreeing with my point of bringing it up—which was on topic—is understandable and worth debating. I want the discussion to remain in context, not derail it into a political discussion. There are other places for that. I just don't abide by starting senseless non-sequitor arguments with me based on their ignorance of the facts I state. Perhaps I should have originally pointed everyone to what I meant. I hoped I didn't have to. I was wrong.

Like I said, though: we are more threatened by the info we give to our phone company, to our banks, or to those businesses who ask for anything outside of the most basic billing information. If personal privacy really is the issue here, then Microsoft EULAs are low on the threat list (and, for all practical purposes, worthless). All they can do is stop you from re-activating.
 
Ice Czar said:
Terpfen, now that Im subscribed to this thread Im sure any retort will include a means to get back on topic and be strictly within the rules. ;)
Click to expand...

I was going to make a few comments about those links, and retort the personal insults flung at me, but you're right, so no more off-topic replies from me.
 
A simple "my bad, I was wrong" would suffice. Considering you were wrong, it would be the honorable thing to do.
 
how silly of me to think a single post from an admin could defuse the situation
guess I'll need to resort to the tried and true big muddy mod tracks tactics Ive always employed :p

see I personally value both of your contributions to the forums and wouldnt want you all to come to harm :p
 
01101001 said:
Is our privacy at risk?
Click to expand...

since my privacy has long gone down the drain, I really don't think that this makes any more difference. However, I can understand that it will make owning and upgrading illegal copies a little more difficult.
 
GreNME will correct me if Im wrong :p
But I do beleive there are still enterprise downloads available
express install isnt the only game in town

the reason I qualify that is because Im W2K and Linux these days
and all the XP I do is for clients and other then SP2 I just employ automatic update when I have em, and then lock it in for silent installs when they do.
 
If Microsoft "peaked" into my closet I would expect them to pay the dry cleaning bills.
 
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