[LINK] MS finally stops helping despots crush resistance

[Roger Clarke]

At 10:19 +1100 19/10/10, Kim Holburn wrote:
>It's an interesting story but I can't see how Microsoft can come out
>of this well.  The countries where Microsoft does this, could now
>accuse them (as a foreign company and even as an arm of a foreign
>government) of helping dissident groups, interfering in internal
>politics.  And they would have a very good point.

My reading of it is that Microsoft's move has little to do with 
either the dissident groups or the foreign governments.

It's all about Microsoft's standing in the US.

There's a very strong freedom movement in the US, and the company 
can't afford to get bad press about stifling *anyone's* freedoms from 
outlets such as the NYT.

Microsoft wants to continue being the primary muscle behind 
anti-software 'piracy' associations.

So it has to make sure that the actions against users of unlicensed 
software are seen as 'a good thing' and 'the American way', not as 
'unamerican'.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
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Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University