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Microsoft patents seriously bad adware
Author: Richard SwinburnePublished: 18th July 2007
If only real adware was this obvious.
So, not only does it intend to use your computer resources and Internet connection to drive its advertising, but it'll also sniff your hard drive for and ship it out to someone else who bought "the right" to see it. All your bits are belong to Microsoft and its country club buddies? Possibly so in the near future.
It could possibly exist as part of the users computer, "whether it's part of the OS, an application or integrated within applications." This means it might not just come in a future version of Windows, it could come in Office, Flight Sim, Solitaire or anything else for that matter. Perhaps your Xbox 360 and Windows Mobile phone as well?
The article states, "Applications, tools, or utilities may use an application program interface to report context data tags such as key words or other information that may be used to target advertisements," says the filing. "The advertising framework may host several components for receiving and processing the context data, refining the data, requesting advertisements from an advertising supplier, for receiving and forwarding advertisements to a display client for presentation, and for providing data back to the advertising supplier."
So, now we have key logging thrown into the mix and not once has there been "anonymous" included in the text. It will apparently keep an eye on everything your PC does, including the state its in, what's connected to it and what you do on it. Yes, Redmond will know exactly where your secret porn stash is hidden and every time you check it; hitting ctrl+F4 might be a quickly trained art by now but try explaining those contextual adverts to other people!
Two applications were filed last year about this, the first on July 5th which detailed the method of acquiring the data and the second on July 13th wrote about displaying the data.
There's no word that these will actually be put into practice, after all, can you imagine the backlash and potential security risks? Perhaps Microsoft is going to offer a free version of Windows that is kept up by ad revenue alone? Or perhaps that new middle manager with the horns, hooves, tail and dominating evil laugh might be looking for a promotion sooner than we think?
Drop your (non-profanity filled) thoughts in the forums.
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Comments (45)
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Originally I thought it was just MSN/Live stuff. But no I think different. I'll try and find a picture of the original advert
Why wait? :D
/sigh
Funny, I was just thinking the same thing!!
edit: i think this is a strategic time to make a OS making company....
QFT.
Though is MS REALLY that nice to consumers?
I think a OS swap will be ideal for me if my vid editing programs and paint shop pro work on another Os, then ill swap as thats all I do now on PC and shop.
This new scheme to mass-harvest private data is simply the next logical step. Maybe it's time to shop around for a nice Linux distro...
Simple I can't be bothered to learn Linux atm. But if MS pulls a stunt like that I will find a whole new reserve of motivation to change.
I remember MS also registered a patent of a TV with a camera on it that looks if the user eyes are actually watching the advertisement, else the ad will repeat. Moreover, it will ask several questions about each at, at the end of them. If the user answer wrong, the ad will repeat.
Up to now, I don't see them making TV's...
ditto...
i play games less n less... i dont see any other solid reason to keep me with M$. i kno its only a patent, i dunno what they'r doing with it, but if they (if ever) decided to implement such feature (i cant find any other non-profanity word) in Vista which i paid $200 for......
...well lets just say i have to come out of my retirement n back to my ****** group in IRC....
seriously, though...who does M$ think they are?
these are personal computers we're talking about here, our personal computers and not theirs, and they need to realize that we don't want half the crap they're (secretly or non-secretly) including in their software. it's bad enough they charge the price that they do.
M$: I send and angry face at you. <-- see, SEE!!!
-monkey
My next system is going to dual-boot Vista/XUbuntu.
If it wasn't for games I would be running only Linux. I'm thinking it may be time to switch to only playing games that run natively in Linux. My Vista install is definitely going dual boot (again) anyway.
MS Windows is still the OS of choice for most governmental and commercial institutions, which do not want to see their work-drone PCs spammed with distracting advertising (especially if it is for a competitor, and especially if it leaches their bandwidth and resources). If MS does this, all of a sudden every business in the world will discover the joy of Linux and OpenOffice. Virtually free, just as useful, and no worries about virusses...
Moreover if people get so annoyed already with spam that MS felt it a good move to incorporate adblockers in IE, and spam filters on Outlook and Hotmail, do you really think it will spam the home user PC? I can just see the sales pitch in PC World: "Er, no, Madam/Sir, you can't turn off those annoying adverts. They actually come with the OS. How much does Windows cost again, you ask?"
It is always amusing to see people react to every bit of news concerning MS with: "OMG, MS IS TAKING OVER TEH WORLD!!!!1111ONEONEONE". We had speculation about product activation that would not allow you to swap the motherboard --it didn't happen. We had speculation that you can transfer Vista to another PC (which includes un-installation from the previous PC) only once, instead of an unlimited number of times as with XP --it didn't happen.
MS knows full well that there are viable alternatives out there (such as OS X for the n00bs, and Linux for the g33ks), and that they offer the same functionality at an often much cheaper price. Redmond's worst nightmare would be if the average customer discovered this. So far most people feel comfortable with Windows, because it does the trick and it is what they have been used to for years, and change is uncomfortable... but only until staying where you are is even more uncomfortable. Then people make the switch... So don't expect a radical change in MS policy just yet.
I know that I could get these things to work through various emulation utilities, and that's a hassle I'm willing to deal with if the time comes to make the switch.
However, I'm happy to continue running XP for the time being.
-monkey
And its hard to disagree with nexxo, implementing this in the main OS would be commercial suicide, though I might have argued the time scale since he's being fairly optomistic when it comes to businesses in general and there technical competency and [Insert word thats escaping me right now that means up-to-dateness].
Personally, I've no reason to move past 2000/XP - they serve my needs fine, and I'm not bothered about any Vista-only titles so far. What DOES worry me is the possibility of a service pack 5 that brings this tactic to 2000/XP. That's when I go Mac.
If they implement this I just want to know how to not get it. I will do anything like never update my computer ever or buy any new stuff. I would even pay thousands not to something like this.
What kind of bs. They better make this in only their free **** b/c I will take my money some ware else. Ultimately what this does is make it easer for governments and other people to find out your personal information.
that'd be a big kick in the ass for M$
Can't see yer picture, just fails to load. What is it of?
Honestly, I think it's not so much microsoft taking over the world as it is helping the two worst programs of all time: Homeland Security and the Patriot Act. Remember those? If it doesn't fall through, lucky for us, for now. But they'll try again. Big Brother is always watching.
I use(d) Knoppix 5.1.1 LIVE at school during my Computer Hardware/Computer Operating Systems class. (The computers had removable hard drive bays, and the teacher wouldn't hand out the hard drives during lecture so that we wouldn't be on the Internet. One student burned Knoppix and that's how most of us in the class first learned of Linux.)
Now, since discover Ubuntu, I would use Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) to do the same thing. I also plan to dual-boot my new laptop with Ubuntu and Windows XP Professional. (Like most people: For games.)
Even if Microsoft doesn't go through with this patent and make it into a full product, the fact that such a product/idea was even made is crazy. It shows the direction that most corporations want to go with regards to people and their privacy.
(Also in regards to sentiments that people forfeit their rights by agreeing to use a company's OS and agreeing to their terms, I still think that regardless there should be an unquestionable reasonable expectation to privacy. Individuals should never be extorted or strong-armed by a product they're choosing to use. And hiding the software so that a common user doesn't even know its present is even worse. I get that you ARE choosing to use their product, but I would think that common sense would tell you that you would alienate your educated market base while trying to manipulate the uneducated. 'Course, when has common sense prevailed in the RIAA/MPAA/DMCA era?)
I know that France(?) changed completely over to Linux for all government computers. I wonder, if this went through if other countries would do the same? I mean I'm sure as Tim S said a while back: I doubt governments and companies want to have all their data out on the Internet, or to be covered in advertising by their competitors products. (And I'm sure that this software can't help security issues too much.)
...
That's all I have for now. Have a good day.
Should be fine now
Wasn't it China or Japan that changed all government computers?
Are you actually being serious? Do you honestly believe that Microsoft and the US Government are working together to mine data from your PC? It makes for a great movie plot, but in reality such conspiracy theories rarely hold water.
-monkey