Microsoft Retracts Private Folder Option

An anonymous reader writes "Just recently, an update to Windows added the option to password-encrypt a personal folder. The intent was to allow users who share PCs to have a measure of privacy, but C|Net reports the company is now removing that functionality with a patch. IT managers hit the roof when the option was added, complaining of the possibility of lost passwords and inaccessible data." From the article: "'Oh great, have they even thought about the impact this could have on enterprises. I'm already trying to frantically find information on this product so that A) I can block to all our desktops and B) figure out how we then support it when users inevitably lose files. I can see the benefit in this product for home users, but it's a bit of a sloppy release by Microsoft,' Stuart Graham said in a posting on Windows Server-related site MSBlog."

Comments

Who's threatened?

[sane?]

Is the problem here the IT managers, or Microsoft?

From my perspective I consider businesses and the IT gestapo all to ready to claim that everything that touches 'their' machines their sole property. The reality is that individuals have a right to privacy and a right to keep certain things to themselves - whichever computing resource they might use. Some companies seem to be run along very fascist lines.

Encrypted folders are not the threat, over inquisitive BOFH and PHB are the threat.