shouting loudly

MS pushes beta anti-piracy program on ALL users

From the “wholly inappropriate corporate behavior” department:

Microsoft is hell-bent on getting all users to install its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notifications software. The program “is used to validate the authenticity of Windows software installed on a PC,” as explained by Joris Evers on CNet.

That’s all well and good, but the software is still in beta mode, which means it’s still being developed and is not yet considered a finished product. Nonetheless, users who employ the Win XP auto update feature are now being told that WGA is a “high priority” update. Which means the vast majority of users will take Microsoft’s word for it, accept a license that nobody reads, and install glitchy code.

MS had better hope the beta version of WGA doesn’t open users’ computers to security vulnerabilities or other problems, because insisting that users install incomplete code is negligent–i.e., a lawsuit waiting to happen.

It’s also shocking considering the fallout from the Sony rootkit scandal. The lesson from that case: “Don’t endanger people’s computers in the name of fighting piracy.” When will companies figure this out?

Update: here’s IHateDRM.com’s take on this story.