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Microsoft WGA Phones Home Even When Told No
Aviran writes "When you start WGA setup and get to the license agreement page but decided NOT to install the highly controversial WGA component and cancel the installation, the setup program will send information stored in your registry and the fact that you choose not to install WGA back to Microsoft's servers."
It actually uploads an entire bit-for-bit copy of your hard drive so that MS investigators can perform a forensic analysis on it and determine exactly what MS software you have installed illegally since not installing WGA is an implicit admission of guilt. You can expect to be arrested by the MS Police within a few days of declining to install WGA if you have any pirated MS software on your machine.
Why was I marked redundant? That's not redundant at all..
Slow Down, Cowboy! It's been 60 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment.
... Now you're going to tell me that all Microsoft is in business for is to make money. You're ruining a perfectly good fantasy. Thanks a lot!
Take your mod and shove it!
Your comment is not anti-microsoft enough, so it has been bitchslapped.
Sounds like a perfect place to use MS speech recgonition:
Computer: "Where do you want to go today?"
You: "Nowhere."
C: "I heard 'Microsoft Validation Site'. Is this correct?"
Y: "No!"
C: "I'm sorry. I heard 'Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete all'. Is this correct?"
Y: "NO!!"
C: "I understand. So 'Microsoft Validation Site' was correct. Redirecting now. Thank you for using My Microsoft Live Enterprise Genuine Advantage Ultimate. Have a nice day."
You posted a short, one word post with no information content and an inane question in order to get first post. Mods love to bitchslap anyone who does this.
The question "So?" is redundant because it doesn't need to be asked. If you feel this isn't an important issue, explain why you think it isn't important.
Software that sends personal information about you back to its master when you say you don't want to install it is generally considered spyware.
I see your "So?" and raise you a "Because!"
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
so let me get this straight. the ID that identifies your installation is there, and you don't recognize all of the other information, so you concluded that there doesn't be any identification of the user?
Truly, your intellect is astonishing.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Yeah, and?
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Hmmm... I like the way you think... *Starts plotting the end of Microshaft Winblows Genuine A$$vantage* Hoohoohahahahahahaaaa! ... Wait, did I type that out loud?
Resistance is futile. Your technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. You will become one with the morgue
It seems to me that it is unethical to have a consumer product license that is unreadable/unparsable to an average consumer. The "madman" here would be anyone who thought that such nonsense was an enforceable contract.
;)
The problem here is that courts have ruled on this in the past... At least in Canada, if you have the ability to read you can read the terms of the contract yourself or pay a lawyer to explain it to you.
Not being able to understand a contract is not grounds to get a contract thrown out...
Although like someone else has pointed out, the EULA in Canada is untested yet. I'd tell microsoft to lick my balls if they ever waved an EULA in my face. Hell they can lick my balls anyway
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Don't worry, nothing was sent to Microsoft. We think.
The only home software on my computers should have is my home
Sounds like someone set you up the bomb.
I dunno, I hear that's pretty far.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
I AM a mod, you insensitive clod!
Screw the rules, I have green hair!