Microsoft Uses WGA To Obtain Record Jail Sentences

theodp writes "According to Microsoft, 'No information is collected during the [Genuine Advantage Program] validation process that can be used to identify or contact a user.' That's little comfort to the software counterfeiters who were just handed jail sentences ranging from 1.5-6.5 years by the Futian People's Court in China, especially since Microsoft contends that much of the estimated $2B in bogus software was detected by its Windows Genuine Advantage program. 'Software piracy negatively impacts local economic growth,' explained Microsoft VP Fengming Liu in a celebratory New Year's Eve press release. But then again, so does transferring $16B of assets and $9B in annual profit to an Irish tax haven, doesn't it?"

Comments

Re:The moral of the story...

[gandhi_2]

No, you are right.

Some of us have massive social welfare programs, lifestyle subsidies, and wealth re-distributions to pay for.

You are under no obligation to arrange your affairs to MAXIMIZE your tax burden.

Keep Going.

[twitter]

I am now certain to exterminate WGA from any and all computers I come into contact with.

Sooner or later, you won't be able to do that and right now you can't trust underhanded coppies. That is the ultimate crime of non free software - not being able to share software and change the way your computer works. You can't be sure people will always be able to remove malicious features from Windows and you can never be sure that new malicious features have not been added in their place. A better solution is to move on to free software where the whole world can verify code integrity and you are removed from legal threats from what you describe as "asshats".