Microsoft Delivers Secure China-Only Cut of Windows 10 (theregister.co.uk)

Earlier this week, CEO of Microsoft Greater China, Alain Crozier, told China Daily that the company is ready to roll out a version of Windows 10 with extra security features demanded by China's government. "We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. It has been tested by three large enterprise customers," Crozier said. The Register reports: China used Edward Snowden's revelations to question whether western technology products could compromise its security. Policy responses included source code reviews for foreign vendors and requiring Chinese buyers to shop from an approved list of products. Microsoft, IBM and Intel all refused to submit source code for inspection, but Redmond and Big Blue have found other ways to get their code into China. IBM's route is a partnership with Dalian Wanda to bring its cloud behind the Great Firewall. Microsoft last year revealed its intention to build a version of Windows 10 for Chinese government users in partnership with state-owned company China Electronics Technology Group Corp. There's no reason to believe Crozier's remarks are incorrect, because Microsoft has a massive incentive to deliver a version of Windows 10 that China's government will accept. To understand why, consider that China's military has over two million active service personnel, the nation's railways employ similar numbers and Microsoft's partner China Electronics Technology Group Corp has more than 140,000 people on its books. Not all of those are going to need Windows, but plenty will.

Comments

Whoa!

[Ol Olsoc]

Full stop! We've had the Microsoft shills in here telling us that Microsoft isn't collecting data, that it's not an invasion of privacy, and that we aren't handing them the keys to the kingdom.

So quickly shills, exapand on this. Tell us why there is no spying by Microsoft, yet despite no spying, they produced a version that doesn't spy less on us than the version that already doesn't spy on us. Inquiring minds want to know.

Large numbers law

[hcs_$reboot]

China could ask Nadella whatever feature they want. 1+ billion potential users have their way..

Re:How about the rest of us?

[Anonymous Coward]

Secondly, why would they only offer this enhanced security to the Chinese, and not to the rest of the world?

They bothered to ask. They demanded not to be spied on and voted with their wallets. We on the other hand are all convinced Big Brother only has our best interests at heart, so we accept his surveillance like sheep.

Jesus, I remember when we'd mock the great firewall... Post snowden it just seems like genius: block American spyware like Facebook and Google while stimulating the Chinese economy as your people create competing alternatives. Why make Americans rich and let them spy at the same time?

Re:Secure by name

[jez9999]

What I'll find really ironic, though, is if they just end up with the China version of Windows 10 stripping out all the privacy invasion and ad related crap.

Hardly. They'll just redirect all the telemetry to the Chinese government.