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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

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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."