[LINK] MS finally stops helping despots crush resistance

[Kim Holburn]

On 2010/Oct/19, at 10:31 AM, Roger Clarke wrote:

> 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'.


It's a fine line they're treading.  A lot of Microsoft's anti-piracy  
actions have a terrible effect on people's privacy and freedom. It is  
noticeably bad in the US where there are basic rights and rule of law,  
but put them in another country and the results are very bad.   
Predictably very bad.

Case in point: http://news.cnet.com/2008-1082_3-5065859.html

-- 
Kim Holburn
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