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Putin's Internet Czar Wants To Ban Windows On Government PCs

Posted by timothy on from the here's-where-czar-breaks-down-as-a-metaphor dept.

SmartAboutThings writes: The Russian government is allegedly looking to ban Microsoft's Windows operating system, increase taxes on foreign technology companies, develop its homegrown OS and encourage local tech companies to grow. All these proposals comes from German Klimenko, Vladimir Putin's new 'internet czar, as Bloomberg describes him. In a 90-minute interview, Klimenko said forcing Google and Apple to pay more taxes and banning Microsoft Windows from government computers are necessary measures, as he is trying to raise taxes on U.S. companies, thus helping local Russian competitors such as Yandex and Mail.ru.

3 of 307 comments (clear)

  1. Re:OSX by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    He is an old KBG agent. You can bet your life on him being paranoid beyond what is healthy.
    He doesn't run anything that he doesn't have full control over and he doesn't care about idealism.

  2. My guesses about Microsoft: by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My guesses:

    1) Basically, Windows is dead. Countries will have to move away from using Microsoft products, since Microsoft has shown it cannot be trusted in ANY way. For example: Windows 10 phones home (A LOT) even with all reporting and telemetry disabled.

    2) Microsoft wants to make money in the Facebook and Google way. Microsoft plans to mine all user data on all computers connected to the internet and sell the information.

    3) The reason there will be no more versions of Windows is that Microsoft will do what Adobe Systems has done: Force users to move to a subscription model.

    4) Windows users will isolate Windows from the internet, and use Linux on a different network with a cheap 2nd computer to connect to the internet. (But how to allow information interchange between the 2 networks?)

    5) In response to users isolating Windows from the internet, Microsoft will make Windows stop working after a few days of no internet connection. Adobe Systems does that, in my experience, with CS6. (CS6 is the last version before the forced move to a subscription model.)

    6) Satya Nadella, the new Microsoft CEO, was chosen because he was the least annoying candidate. He is apparently not the real controlling manager, but only someone to advertise.

    7) Microsoft has a contract with secret U.S. government agencies to make Windows into what users consider to be malware.

    8) Because Microsoft often releases buggy software, possibly because it is paid to do so by secret U.S. government agencies, Windows 10, with its many ways to connect to the internet, is now FAR less secure than before.

    Not a guess, because verified by others: Microsoft is shockingly badly managed. The cover of the January 16, 2013 issue of BusinessWeek magazine has a large photo of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with the headline calling him "Monkey Boy". See the BusinessWeek cover in this article: Steve Ballmer Is No Longer A Monkey Boy, Says Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The BusinessWeek cover says "No More" and "Mr.", but that doesn't take much away from the fact that the magazine called Ballmer Monkey Boy -- on its cover.

    Slashdot commenters called Ballmer "Monkey Boy" for years before BusinessWeek called him that on the cover of its magazine.

    Worst CEO in the United States: Quote from an article in Forbes Magazine about Steve Ballmer: "Without a doubt, Mr. Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today." Another quote: "The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft when it comes to destroying shareholder value -- and jobs." (May 12, 2012)

  3. 7 and 8 are just guesses, but here is evidence: by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A few of the many stories about backdoors in U.S. hardware:

    D-Link: Reverse Engineering a D-Link Backdoor (Oct. 12, 2013)

    Arris: 600,000 Arris cable modems have 'backdoors in backdoors', researcher claims (Nov. 20, 2015)

    Juniper Networks: Juniper drops NSA-developed code following new backdoor revelations (Jan. 10, 2016)

    Cisco: Snowden: The NSA planted backdoors in Cisco products (May 15, 2014)

    Netgear: Netgear Patch Said to Leave Backdoor Problem in Router (April 23, 2014)

    Windows 8: NSA Backdoor Exploit in Windows 8 Uncovered (Aug. 22, 2013)

    Windows: NSA "backdoor" mandates lead to a computer-security FREAK show Quote: "Microsoft Windows OS vulnerable to hackers, thanks to National Security Agency requirements." (March 6, 2015)

    Windows: NSA Built Back Door In All Windows Software by 1999 (June 7, 2013)

    Hard drives: Breaking: Kaspersky Exposes NSA's Worldwide, Backdoor Hacking of Virtually All Hard-Drive Firmware (Feb. 17, 2015)

    Is every backdoor the work of the NSA? There is no way of knowing.