01.18.14
Gemini version available ♊︎1984 is Here: Microsoft Remotely Deletes Free/Open Source Software From Windows, Sells Malware Under Pretense of ‘Openness’ (Newspeak)
Orwellian acts from Microsoft
Digital book burning device
Summary: Microsoft is approaching rivals of the United States, offering them spyware and malware under the guise of “openness” that moles like Gianugo Rabellino promote (while Microsoft remotely purges privacy-preserving Open Source software from users’ PCs)
MICROSOFT WOULD suit China very well. They’re both horrific when it comes to human rights, but China seems to be uninterested in Microsoft. Based on a new report posted in ZDNet on Friday, China is making its own “Linux operating system” for mobile devices (maybe a consequence of distrusting the NSA, which is a strong Microsoft partner). One can always count on Microsoft to send some deceiving lobbyist or mole like Rabellino [1, 2, 3, 4] to Asia, as it reportedly did some months ago (we covered one example from the Philippines). It’s all about openwashing Microsoft because Linux and GNU are gaining there. We already saw a lot in Cablegate about how Microsoft derails pro-FOSS policies in Asia. Here is Rabellino’s latest ‘mole tripping’ in Asia, using a Microsoft proxy to pretend that Microsoft is about FOSS. To quote a shallow, weak report (placement) from IDG, “A Microsoft Open Technologies subsidiary is coming to Shanghai, as the company aims to expand its open-source and open standards efforts in China.
China does not need spyware from Microsoft. It should kick out those moles, too. Rabellino is quoted as saying: “Creating a subsidiary of Microsoft Open Technologies sends a very clear signal that we care about openness.”
What utter nonesense. Rabellino is either stupid (which he is not) or he is being dishonest for a salary. No company has attacked FOSS (Microsoft won’t use the F word, “freedom”) as much as Microsoft. How can Rabellino honestly utter these words? It’s PR and deception, that’s all it is.
Looking elsewhere in the news and making a case to prove Microsoft’s disdain of FOSS, here again, ‘for security’ [1], Microsoft is deleting Free software from Windows, remotely even [via]. What does that software do? It helps anonymity on the Web; it’s a privacy tool. Microsoft is intercepting both privacy and freedom at the same time. Rabellino should be ashamed of himself for trying to deceive the Chinese and lure them into the NSA trap which is Microsoft. Remember when Amazon remotely deleted books like "1984"? Well, Amazon is now working closely for the CIA; that helps these same observations be explained sometimes.
Microsoft is not about openness. It makes and maintained (with new back doors) insecure-by-design software for the NSA. This includes Skype. Watch the new article titled “Skype ready to share users’ data with Russian police” [2]. No further comment needed. Microsoft is “open”. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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Microsoft’s secret battle against the Tor botnet
Why also remove Tor? Microsoft did not respond to our questions directly. But shortly after we reached out, Microsoft’s Geoff McDonald wrote a blog post about the issue. McDonald said that leaving the Tor clients installed posed a severe threat to infected machines.
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Skype ready to share users’ data with Russian police
Microsoft Corporation that owns the Internet call service Skype is ready to keep in store its Russian users’ negotiations, correspondence and data exchange during six months and share it with the Russian police, if necessary, Microsoft’s press office told Itar-Tass.
Microsoft thus confirmed its commitment to work in full compliance with the Russian law, the way it does in all countries of its operations. If any new law is adopted, the company will comply with it as well, the press office said.
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AdamW said,
January 20, 2014 at 6:21 pm
“Looking elsewhere in the news and making a case to prove Microsoft’s disdain of FOSS, here again, ‘for security’ [1], Microsoft is deleting Free software from Windows, remotely even [via]. What does that software do? It helps anonymity on the Web; it’s a privacy tool”
*sigh*
You *really* ought to look into things a bit more closely, y’know, Roy.
They deleted *old, insecure* copies of Tor *which had been deployed by a piece of malware* and were *overwhelming the Tor network with garbage traffic*. With the consent of the Tor maintainers, which they asked for before doing it. And this was done by a tool called the Malicious Software Removal Tool, which explicitly tells you when you install it – which you have to agree to – that it is designed to…remove malicious software from your computer.
There really is no case to answer there. Microsoft’s security team did something which was right, good, and beneficial for their users and for Tor.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
January 21st, 2014 at 4:11 am
“Why also remove Tor? Microsoft did not respond to our questions directly. But shortly after we reached out, Microsoft’s Geoff McDonald wrote a blog post about the issue. McDonald said that leaving the Tor clients installed posed a severe threat to infected machines.”
Oh, yes… “security”. So let’s just remove it all covertly, like Amazon did with “1984″.
“By using an unconventional method to exploit Windows, the hackers unwittingly forced Microsoft to show a hand few knew it had: The ability to remotely remove progams en masse from people’s computers, without them even knowing it.”
[...]
““That’s a lot of power that Microsoft has there,” Applebaum continued, raising his voice and laughing at the implications. “If you’re using Windows trying to be anonymous, word to the wise: Bad idea.””
[...]
“So, yes, Microsoft has the ability to reach into certain computers and delete programs. But, Lewman says, this is the way it’s always been—as long as the user agrees to it first.”
Yes, the users get a computer with Windows preinstalled (often against their choice) and then sign a EULA.
Tor developers have suffered enough (e.g. on the press side) from Tor exploits under Windows; the same goes for Firefox. I don’t see much endorsement from Tor; if anything they express shock that Microsoft has all this dangerous power.
In short, what we have here is a remote deletion mechanism. We also have Tor developers who, dealing with a Swiss cheese like Windows (where Tor is merely used as a tool after this OS with NSA back doors has been exploited), express concerns. Imagine what Windows on networks in places like Iran would mean. Or even China once there are hostilities or war…