RE: Defense Secretary Defends Microsoft

[Jay Holovacs <holovacs@idt.net>]

This sounds a lot like the net myths floating around a while back, started
because MS had a user switchable feature that would upload your
configuration info when you registered your products (not when you visited
their site). There was considerable backlash at the time, even though MS
assured customers it was only configuration information they were loading
(the same stuff they would be asking for if a customer called with a
problem). With the complete lack of technical understanding of the average
MS customer, thes may not have been all bad. 

The story grew that they sucked up directory trees, looked for pirate
software, etc. No one ever, to my knowledge, produced evidence that this
was done. Since currently products can be used without registering them, it
is not likely this would be an effective anti piracy device anyhow.

The disk stripe is a new one to me, but would require MS to directly
address parts of your hd that the formatter doesn't even touch (which would
be drive brand specific) through your browser, that sounds pretty unlikely
to me. Besides, even if they did, what would that large expense and PR risk
do for MS? They may want to leave an identifier on your machine besides
cookies, but there is no practical point to attempting to survive (quite
rare) full reformatting. I don't believe it.

Now, if your talking FBI, targeting specific individuals (as opposed to
fishing), it would be technically possible.

Jay

None


At 06:12 PM 2/19/99 -0800, Michael Motyka wrote:
>
>/*
>I was told by my computer hardware supplier that when you visit M$hit
>site, they "stripe" your hard drive by writing on it a serial number
>that won't get erased when you format or re-partition the drive.  
>Is that true?
>*/
>\\[etc]...

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