Re: The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification

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On 7/04/2006, Mistoffolees posted this:
Gene E. Bloch wrote:

On 7/04/2006, Alias posted this:

Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:

Windows Genuine Advantage Bolsters Frontline in Anti-Piracy Fight


Translation: MS expects its paying customers to work for them for free to catch pirates instead of calling the legal authorities to do the job.

MS assumes their paying customers are using illegal software.

This is the worst PR fiasco MS has ever dreamed up.

Alias


It would probably be more correct to say "MS assumes that pirates and thieves are using illegal software", and is trying to find out whether you (and I) are one of those.

BTW, are you one?

I'm not, but this thing bothers me partly because MS can make mistakes (as they did to me a year ago).


But how would MS know what the identity of the user is in order
to ascertain any given person was a pirate/thief or not? This is
just one of the illogicals of the whole WGA concept unless, of
course, MS has been lying all along about the purpose of PA and
what it does or did during the actual process of activation. And
calling in to the Microsoft WGA forum requires a Passport login
and this just reinforces whatever data might have been accumulated
for any single user. The question of what is the purpose of WGA
still goes begging. And what a coincidence that the disclosure of
WGA occurs at the same time of revelations of domestic spying by
the Bush administration.

As I understand it, WGA does two things:

1. It knows which are valid product codes or activation codes.

2. It compares a locally generated and locally stored signature with a newly computed signature, using the same method on what is supposed to be the same computer; if they differ, the computer might be a bad one.

The first might require calling home to get new rules, since the definition of what's valid can presumably change with time. That still doesn't mean that your identity is revealed. The second won't call home, because everything - the signature (AKA hash code) it computed before and the signature it's computing now - are local.

Repeat: That is as I understand it. It is definitely true if I'm infallible, otherwise, well, let's hope for the best :-)

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
(replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom")


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification
    ... MS expects its paying customers to work for them for free to catch pirates instead of calling the legal authorities to do the job. ... It would probably be more correct to say "MS assumes that pirates and thieves are using illegal software", and is trying to find out whether you are one of those. ... calling in to the Microsoft WGA forum requires a Passport login ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsupdate)
  • Re: WGA again PCBUTTS impersonation again
    ... Subject: WGA again ... Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. ... Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a ... > I've seen Dell computers running Pirated copies of Windows XP Prof, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: re-activated twice by phone, still not activated
    ... I know that what I have installed is legit, not because of some scammy WPA/WGA program but because I know who I bought it from and what their business practices are. ... How many true pirates have been busted due to WPA or WGA? ... There are posts every day here from people inconvenienced by WPA and WGA, including the OP in this thread! ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: WGA again PCBUTTS impersonation again
    ... Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. ... Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a ... people running legit copies need NOT install WGA as they already ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: WGA Aint So Bad
    ... benefiting only Microsoft. ... How does it benefit me for WGA to load and phone home at each and every ... problem, i.e., the actual software pirates. ... Collateral damage is always a consideration in any action, but Microsoft ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)