Microsoft has a funny notion of a 'bug'

[Jacob Stetser]

http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,33413,00.html

Microsoft calls a recently-discovered part of Windows98 and some office products that sends a unique identifier ID back to Microsoft as part of registration or as the Auto Update process a 'bug.'

Is it me, or are Microsoft and Intel showing a tremendous lack of respect for people's privacy? I mean, the PIII and Windows98 both both come with the means to track your every move, it seems.

Am I being paranoid? Or should I be worried about this?

[hearts]

I bet they knew of this long before they were contacted .. and were using this for whatever purposes until they got discovered. Just all seems to peculiar.. huh?

Wow.. creepy. I read the larger article. Seems there was some plotting going on. I don't believe for a second that they were NOT doing anything with that info.. and maybe it is PARTIALLY true that they were doing this to protect themselves against pirates. And there are no assurances that this doesn't affect windows95. oboy!

[Justin]

I'm not surprised at all. Every time I go to MS's site (only if I really have to), my hard drive goes crazy for about 30 seconds... then there's that message box assuring you that it is not sending any information to Microsoft - yeah, right.

I will not purchase a PIII unless the big brother tracking number is removed. I think I could easily live with a K7 http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif I've heard that they will blow away the PIII's any day http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif And it's 100% marketing. Cookies I have no problems with. They are only readable to the domain that created it, and can be deleted. Plus they are usually plain text which can be read in Notepad.

But you can format, reinstall, use a different OS, and that processor number will not change - unless you buy a new chip http://www.aota.net/ubb/frown.gif I hate that idea totally. And you can guess what software company loves that idea to death.

I won't give up 98, but I also will not go to MS's site very often. Unfortunately, I do need to visit their developer's site once in a while...

Jacob, aren't you using an iMac? Why should you be worried? Or do you also own / plan to own a PC? Just curious.


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Justin Nelson, SFE Software
www.vdj.net (http://www.vdj.net)

[Jacob Stetser]

Well, I own a PC, but I also own Microsoft Office 98 for the Macintosh, which I just found out also has an embedded unique ID in it, which it puts in every document you write (In other words, long after you've sent off a document somewhere electronically, Microsoft could tell who wrote it by looking at the identifer http://www.aota.net/ubb/frown.gif )

It's in Office 97 (PC version) too.

Anyhow, it just irks me that these gigantic companies believe they have the right to do this and jerk the users around like this.

http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif

Sorry for ranting! http://www.aota.net/ubb/smile.gif

Jake