[CS-FSLUG] OT: The Kill Switch Comes to the PC With Windows 8 - Businessweek

[Marco Tedaldi]

There has been a kill switch in any windows pc since a long time.
At least, since wga (I still fail to see the advantage for the user). It
does check periodically if the license is still deemed valid.

And thanx to windows update (and the closed nature of the whole system)
ms (or everyone with access to the systems) could easily distribute an
update which would render targeted systems unusable.

So I'm really questioning any companys and governments sanity when they
still use the redmond system. It is like giving a foreign government
remote access to all the data in the company (ok, for US citizens it's
the own gevernment, I don't know if this makes things better)...

I don't believe in good guy, bad guy, but only in "bad guy, worse guy"
when it comes to companies and government (and three letter agencies).

Oh right, the updates are signed... and recently it has been shown, how
reliable this whole certificate system is...

It is just crazy to trust any closed source software if you have data
which is not to be considered "public" anyway!

best regards

Marco

On 26.02.2012 05:33, Fred A. Miller wrote:
> With the rollout of the Windows 8 operating system expected later this
> year, millions of desktop and laptop PCs will get kill switches for the
> first time. Microsoft (MSFT
> <http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=MSFT>)
> hasn't spoken publicly about its reasons for including this capability
> in Windows 8 beyond a cryptic warning that it might be compelled to use
> it for legal or security reasons. The feature was publicized in a widely
> cited /Computerworld/ article in December when Microsoft posted the
> terms of use for its new application store, a feature in Windows 8 that
> will allow users to download software from a Microsoft-controlled
> portal. Windows smartphones, like those of its competitors, have
> included kill switches for several years, though software deletion "is a
> last resort, and it's uncommon," says Todd Biggs, director of product
> management for Windows Phone Marketplace.
> 
> http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-kill-switch-comes-to-the-pc-02162012.html
>