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Microsoft Blocks FSF Donation Website As a 'Gambling Site'

Posted by timothy on from the what-are-the-odds? dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The FSF slammed Microsoft for categorizing donate.fsf.org website as a 'Gambling Site.' Corporate systems that use a Microsoft 'network security' program cannot access FSF donation website because of this and as a result, many people were unable to make donations. FSF has submitted a correction to Microsoft and they are now waiting for a response. However, John Sullivan warned corporate about Microsoft's proprietary network security programs."

7 of 301 comments (clear)

  1. Stay grounded by meekg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hysterics and hyperbole do not serve us well.
    IF MS ignores the correction, sure. But that hasn't happened, has it?

    1. Re:Stay grounded by beelsebob · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Frankly, the idea that this could be accidental in the first place is ludicrous.

      Frankly, the idea that it wasn't accidental is ludicrous, I would doubt very highly that MS has humans categorising sites, instead it's probably all automated based on roughly the same tech as email spam filters.

    2. Re:Stay grounded by Xtifr · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, MS aren't stupid.

      Citation needed. Bringing obviously-faked evidence into a courtroom seems like a strong counter-example to this claim.

      Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity.

      Wait, now you're saying they are stupid? :)

      More likely the FSF home page, with all of its talk about "free software" was classified by MS's filters as a warez site.

      That might make sense if it had been classified as a warez site. But it wasn't. If I had to make an honest guess, mine would be an in-house joke used during testing that got left in when they went live.

      That's assuming they do fix it and apologize. Otherwise, I think we're back to malice. ;)

  2. malice or incompetence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    what's that old saying "never attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence" or whatever? I mean this is MS we're talking about...

    1. Re:malice or incompetence? by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      what's that old saying "never attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence" or whatever? I mean this is MS we're talking about...

      Which makes malice in the guise of incompetence particularly insidious and effective.
      In the absence of clear evidence one way or the other, it's best to reserve judgment regarding malice vs incompetence where a recidivist company notorious for its dirty tricks is concerned. The aphorism you quoted (especially the "never" bit) is overridden in this case by Microsoft's track record of cunning malice, mind-boggling incompetence, incompetent malice, and malicious incompetence. It could be any of them.

      --
      Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  3. Re:Why is this news? by jrumney · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's speculation that their accepting of Bitcoin inadvertantly categorised them as a gambling website. ... It does not seem malicious or incompetent that this mistake happened.

    That looks pretty incompetent to me.

  4. Re:Why is this news? by dakohli · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Of course the panel front and center which reads:

    Stand up for your freedom to install free software
    !
    Join 30,000 people in opposing Microsoft's Restricted Boot by signing this statement

    Has nothing to do with it.