RSS Feed
February 25th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda 
Jordan Robertson
Bloomberg Businessweek
Friday, February 24, 2012
With the rollout of the Windows 8 operating system expected later this year, millions of desktop and laptop PCs will get kill switches for the first time. Microsoft (MSFT) hasn’t spoken publicly about its reasons for including this capability in Windows 8 beyond a cryptic warning that it might be compelled to use it for legal or security reasons. The feature was publicized in a widely cited Computerworld article in December when Microsoft posted the terms of use for its new application store, a feature in Windows 8 that will allow users to download software from a Microsoft-controlled portal. Windows smartphones, like those of its competitors, have included kill switches for several years, though software deletion “is a last resort, and it’s uncommon,” says Todd Biggs, director of product management for Windows Phone Marketplace.
Microsoft declined to answer questions about the kill switch in Windows 8 other than to say it will only be able to remove or change applications downloaded through the new app store. Any software loaded from a flash drive, DVD, or directly from the Web will remain outside Microsoft’s control. Still, the kill switch is a tool that could help Microsoft prevent mass malware infections. “For most users, the ability to remotely remove apps is a good thing,” says Charlie Miller, a researcher with the security company Accuvant.
The history of kill switches on smartphones and e-readers suggests they’re double-edged swords for the companies that wield them. In 2009, Amazon reached into users’ Kindles to delete e-book copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm that had been sold by a publisher without the necessary rights. The ensuing backlash caused Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos to call the move “stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles.”
Read more: All New Windows 8 Computers to Have Remote Kill Switch
Related posts:
- Windows 7 Sins: The case against Microsoft and proprietary software
- Maltese researchers find elusive Windows bug
- Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processor includes remote kill switch
- Israel’s Mellanox to Drive Windows Server 8
- Microsoft issues emergency fix for Windows weakness
- NSA Is Giving Microsoft Some Help On Windows 7 Security
- Microsoft has been caught installing exploits into Firefox through Windows Update!
- Kill Switch Beta: Government Blocks 84,000 Websites
- Microsoft patches 34 security holes, many critical
- Linux users’ fears that they will be locked out of Windows 8 hardware
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
