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Re: [News] Microsoft Gets Deeper in Mud Over Spying Allegations

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 15:09:28 +0100, Roy Schestowitz wrote:

> Big brother Microsoft is snooper than I thought
> 
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| In short, Microsoft is admitting to pulling even more information from
>| your PCs -- such as your IP address and date and timestamp data "relating
>| to systems' booting and continued operations." In addition, Jones shows
>| how Microsoft essentially tricks users into agreeing to all this without
>| giving them any chance to say no to the entire process. 
> `----
> 
>                 http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS5029665134.html

Gah, PJ should just stay out of technical matters, it's clear she doesn't
understand them.  here are some examples:

* She confuses "locale" (what language you've chosen) with "location" (or
"where you are located" to use her words)

* She doesn't understand that any kind of connection over the internet
allows both recipients to see the others IP address and various data
provided by TCP/IP (such as uptime timestamp), and believes that Microsoft
is intentionally sending this information.  It's just a by-product of a
TCP/IP connection.

At least this responder to her had some sense:

http://www.groklaw.net/comment.php?mode=display&sid=20060608002958907&title=IP%20address%20and%20time%20stamp%20is%20a%20big%20deal%3F&type=article&order=&hideanonymous=0&pid=0#c449339

Of course the responders to him still don't get it.  The Microsoft
spokesperson was saying that because you make a connection, that Microsoft
(or anyone you connect to) has access to certain information such as IP and
timestamp.  They assume, instead, that he means that the program is sending
it's IP address, which it's not.  It's just an http get to retrieve a
configuraiton file.

What I find truly amazing is that the very same people that comlain about
the Microsoft EULA including clauses to authorize windows update to
download patches are now complaining that such clauses are NOT included
about a simple config file download.

It just goes to show that no matter what, everyone will over react.

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