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Re: [News] Microsoft Embraces Spyware

  • Subject: Re: [News] Microsoft Embraces Spyware
  • From: "[H]omer" <spam@xxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 06:13:17 +0100
  • In-reply-to: <128sbij4v5prd5b@news.supernews.com>
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • Organization: Slated.org
  • References: <1482328.eGPuWgJoND@schestowitz.com> <128sbij4v5prd5b@news.supernews.com>
  • User-agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.2 (X11/20060501)
  • Xref: news.mcc.ac.uk comp.os.linux.advocacy:1118691
Tim Smith wrote:
How come you don't call it spyware when open source projects do this?

Because Open Source projects are not typically motivated by finance, and therefore do not (and have no reason to) collect, collate and resell marketing data, for the purpose of spamming people with junk offers.


If I send a bug report to an OSS project, I know for a fact whether or not the data contains Personally Identifiable Information because, if it comes down to it, I can see the source and determine that fact for myself. I have no such luxury using closed source "reporting" software.

This is why, for example, the Australian government was granted access to the Windows source code, since it is the only way they were prepared to *trust* that Microsoft was not committing an act of espionage by sending classified data to America.

Not being an international government, I would just have to cross my fingers and *hope* that my credit card details were safe, if I was stupid enough to trust Windows security.

-
K.

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