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Microsoft helps supress dissent in Russia
Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 1:42 pm
by pongo
Very interesting article in today's (Sun 12-Sep-10) New York Times. Apparently, Microsoft's Russian operation is cooperating with the authorities to shut down environmental and other activist groups the government doesn't like by claiming that the groups' computers have pirated copies of Windows and applications on them, which allows the police to seize the computers. The remedy for this suggests itself.
Microsoft in the US gave the usual weasel-worded excuse about how they are reviewing the situation, and how they are more interested in catching the high level dealers, I mean pirates, than in punishing the street users.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/world ... ml?_r=1&hp
I don't think that's behind a paywall.
Re: Microsoft helps supress dissent in Russia
Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:33 pm
by simpleblue
People try to help the world.
Microsoft squashes them.
Typical.
Yet another reason to use open source.
Re: Microsoft helps supress dissent in Russia
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:14 am
by OldManHook
Why does this surprise anyone
As i have posted before on this forum--You don't know what the owners-Devs of software do or belive
Now how many Windows fan boys-girls, Will stop using The OS--Welcome to Linux
Re: Microsoft helps supress dissent in Russia
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 12:04 pm
by monkeyboy
pongo wrote:Very interesting article in today's (Sun 12-Sep-10) New York Times. Apparently, Microsoft's Russian operation is cooperating with the authorities to shut down environmental and other activist groups the government doesn't like by claiming that the groups' computers have pirated copies of Windows and applications on them, which allows the police to seize the computers. The remedy for this suggests itself.
Microsoft in the US gave the usual weasel-worded excuse about how they are reviewing the situation, and how they are more interested in catching the high level dealers, I mean pirates, than in punishing the street users.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/world ... ml?_r=1&hp
I don't think that's behind a paywall.
If the state (in this case Russian police) wants your computer they will get it, in this case the authorities used the anti-piracy cover to justify their actions. If the groups involved had been using Linux the authorities would have probably just changed their justification and seized the computers anyway. Microsoft has many sins to answer for (don't we all) but sometimes they are no more then convenient scapegoats.