Re: Is WGA used to violate your privacy or not?

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

nubian wrote:
I was reading this article, then I came to this paragraph and was shocked!

"Microsoft traced most of the pirates through its online validation program, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). Some of the defendants were reported to the company's antipiracy hotline."

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/Microsoft-Sues-eBay-Software-Pirates/story.xhtml?story_id=10000B5Y3NUO


If WGA is touted to protect and respect the privacy of thos who use Windows, how could it do this without violating privacy?!?

I checked the FAQ and privacy policy of WGA:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/PrivacyInfo.aspx?displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en

"Q: What information is collected from my computer?

A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your system to determine if Windows is genuine. This process does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you or contact you. The only information collected in the validation process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?

A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand regional differences in Windows usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared against data collected from the PC in order to determine whether to grant a user’s request for additional access."

And I repeat,

"This process does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you or contact you."

Then how the heck did ""Microsoft trace most of the pirates through its online validation program, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)."?!? Is it just me, or is this a gross misuse of WGA?


Wow. Me no like.

Alias

--
Use the "Reply to Sender" feature of your news reader program to email me.
Utiliza "Responder al Remitente" para enviarme un mail.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Windows Genuine Advantage - Big Brother is watching you
    ... Microsoft Provides Additional Clarity About Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications ... Some tech writers have said categorizing WGA as spyware is arguable. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsupdate)
  • Re: Is WGA used to violate your privacy or not?
    ... If WGA is touted to protect and respect the privacy of thos who use Windows, how could it do this without violating privacy?!? ... Then how the heck did ""Microsoft trace most of the pirates through its online validation program, Windows Genuine Advantage."?!? ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsupdate)
  • Re: Is WGA used to violate your privacy or not?
    ... "Microsoft traced most of the pirates through its online validation ... If WGA is touted to protect and respect the privacy of thos who use ... Windows, how could it do this without violating privacy?!? ... online validation program, Windows Genuine Advantage."?!? ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsupdate)
  • Re: Is WGA used to violate your privacy or not?
    ... "Microsoft traced most of the pirates through its online validation ... If WGA is touted to protect and respect the privacy of thos who use ... Windows, how could it do this without violating privacy?!? ... its online validation program, Windows Genuine Advantage."?!? ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Is WGA used to violate your privacy or not?
    ... "Microsoft traced most of the pirates through its online validation ... If WGA is touted to protect and respect the privacy of thos who use ... Windows, how could it do this without violating privacy?!? ... its online validation program, Windows Genuine Advantage."?!? ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)