05.11.15
Biased Media (and Microsoft-Connected Media) Makes GNU/Linux Security Advantages Unknown
“Our products just aren’t engineered for security.”
–Brian Valentine, Microsoft executive
Summary: How the corporate media, especially that which is connected to Microsoft, fallaciously frames Windows issues as universal issues and lays blame on GNU/Linux where Windows is affected
Our previous post, which talks about OOXML being insecure [via], was a reminder that Microsoft is inherently insecure, usually by design (for surveillance/espionage purposes, among other reasons). Today we would like to show some gross media bias which deliberately fails to highlight Microsoft’s uniqueness when it comes to poor security.
First of all, the Microsoft-occupied BBC is a disgrace. The BBC got very badly stuffed/filled (at management level) with Microsoft UK staff. It happened several years ago. Examples were covered here before. In an article titled “Self-destructing virus kills off PCs” they completely fail to mention that it’s just Windows. Microsoft and Windows are mentioned only in context that promotes them, but not otherwise. “Restoring a PC with its MBR deleted involves reinstalling Windows,” says one paragraph in the middle, “which could mean important data is lost.” Would the article bear the same headline if the virus targeted Android? It’s just so vague. “PC” just means “Windows” now. The BBC seems to serve as a Microsoft advertising platform, there is no pretence of objectivity at all. If the BBC’s language was reversed, it would announce “new version of PC” and “Windows malware destruction of Microsoft Windows” (to amend the aforementioned headline). The BBC has a newspeak name for Microsoft Windows when there’s bad news: “PC”. But it’s called “Windows” (or Vista 10/Windows 10) when there’s good news. How convenient.
Zack Whittaker from Microsoft (formerly working for Microsoft UK) writes about the latest Lenovo back door, neglecting to say that it affects only those who use Microsoft Windows (like previous Lenovo back doors). How convenient an omission.
Last but not least, take a look at this rebuttal to articles from IDG and the highly biased Dan Goodin (among few others whom we cited here the other day). Anti-Linux circles framed general-purpose threat to computers as a “Linux” thing. What a bogus claim that was! “Stealthy Linux GPU malware can also hide in Windows PCs, maybe Macs,” says the latest headline. The author says quite correctly: “Most news stories last week about Jellyfish focused on the Linux aspect, leading some to believe that Windows or Mac PCs can’t be affected by such threats. It now seems that Team Jellyfish is bent on disproving that.”
So once again GNU/Linux is receiving bad press (perception of insecurity) despite it being just a scapegoat in an attack that is hardware-based. We covered very similar examples in recent months.
The media is just so biased against Free software. Bias by omission and scapegoating is a longstanding issue that led to the “call out Windows” campaign. It’s not acceptable that Microsoft receives special treatment. █
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