Microsoft branded "biggest hacker in China"
By Reuters
Posted on 22 Oct 2008 at 08:17
Microsoft's attempts to snuff out piracy in China have led to a furious reaction from users and legal experts alike.
The Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program, which turns the user's desktop wallpaper black if the installed software fails a validation test, is Microsoft's latest weapon in its war on piracy in China, where the vast majority of 200 million computer users are believed to be using fake software, unwittingly or not.
Microsoft has used WGA in the West for some time, but the Chinese have reacted with fury to its introduction. Dong Zhengwei, 35, a Beijing lawyer, described Microsoft as the "biggest hacker in China with its intrusion into users' computer systems without their agreement or any judicial authority," the China Daily reports.
"Microsoft's measure will cause serious functional damage to users' computers and, according to China's Criminal Law, the company can stand accused of breaching and hacking into computer systems," he adds.
"I respect the right of Microsoft to protect its intellectual property, but it is taking on the wrong target with wrong measures. It should target producers and sellers of fake software, not users."
Ordinary users are also up in arms. "Why is Microsoft automatically connected with my computer? The computer is mine!" one angry blogger wrote on popular Chinese web portal Sina.com. "Microsoft has no right to control my hardware without my agreement."
Another blogger railed over the cost of authorised versions. "If the price of genuine software was lower than the fake one, who would buy the fake one?" he wrote.
The software giant defends the program on its website as "part of Microsoft's commitment to help protect its intellectual property and to help you avoid problems before they happen."
From around the web
advertisement
- Chrome's shine getting lost in translation
- BytePac: the cardboard hard disk enclosure
- How tech loosens our grip on reality
- Hokum watch: Safer Internet Day
- Why I'm deleting Adobe from my PC
- Prepare to be patronised: it's Safer Internet Day
- Dear Sony, Samsung and every other tech company in the world: stop trying to be Apple
- Will Apple's Final Cut Pro X update placate the pros?
- Smartr Contacts for iPhone review
- Switching to Office 365's Outlook Web App
- Why virtualisation hasn't slowed the growth of data
- How to make Google AdWords work for your business
- The curse of sloppily written software
- Paying for your crimes with Bitcoin
- Behind the scenes: tech support for Formula 1
- The security risk of fat fingers
- Why Windows Phone 7 isn't quite ready for business
- When will Microsoft stop fiddling with Windows 8?
- Flash down the pan?
- Metro Style apps vs desktop applications
advertisement
