🚀 go-pugleaf

>In article <neil-3007952204290001@pma29.rt66.com> neil@rt66.com (Neil Jensen) writes:
>>They have a groovy little feature that lets them snoop through your
>>computer apps and files while you register on-line.

fts@cris.com (Chester Karma) writes:
>THe only people that worry about that are people that have something to hide. 
>Besides, I believe Microsoft has made the claim that the online registration 
>does no such thing, and if they're caught doing it, they're going to have so 
>many lawsuits they'll be out of business. (And it takes a LOT of lawsuits to 
>do that to Microsoft).

You are wrong:

1.  The issue is *privacy*, not whether or not you have "something to
hide".  (And speaking of privacy, this argument justifies every invasion
of it I can think of.)  Microsoft's plan to "investigate" peoples' hard
drives has been well documented in the media, so I'm not going to argue
over whether or not it's in the works.  Their goal is to build a database
of what kinds of software people are using; supposedly it's to help
diagnose hardware and software incompatibilities, but I believe its real
value will be as a marketing tool. 

2.  There is a big difference between what is unethical and what is
illegal.  MicroSoft will get around the problem of lawsuits by putting one
of those insipid "OK?" dialog boxes on the screen before it goes scroung
-ing.  They'll likely have great success with the new or otherwise naive
users who'll flock to MS Network when it opens. 

-- 
      Kevin MacNeil            \      Memorial University of Newfoundland
kmacneil@morgan.ucs.mun.ca      /            English & Philosophy