Info WGA sends to MS

[Alias]

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify
you or contact you. The only information collected in the validation
process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?
A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on
your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand
regional differences in Windows or Office usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared

How is the above info any of MS' business.

Alias

 

[Ghostrider]

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify
you or contact you. The only information collected in the validation
process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?
A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on
your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand
regional differences in Windows or Office usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared

How is the above info any of MS' business.

Alias

Just by quick inspection, the Windows PK data is pretty
straight-forward. IF the PK repeats too many times, and
the PC Manufacturer is known, then it identifies the OEM
who might or might not be exceeding a quota or falling
short of targets or making third-party OEM sales outside
of the SB agreement. The PID/SID for the same PK will reveal
the method of which the "pirating" (or cloning) has been
accomplished. All of this is pretty good for enforcement,
if the data is being collected for this purpose. Unfortunately,
WGA goes a little bit beyond this stage by starting to harass
the hapless user who might have been innocently caught up in
the whole debacle of WPA. All along, Microsoft has had the
means to curtail piracy and counterfeiting and Windows has
been known to be the No. 1 spyware all along via Active-X with
Java and VB scripts. If Microsoft is serious about the Genuine
Advantage, it should start taking out these counterfeiters and
pirates. Otherwise, WGA is just another step at legitimizing
the use of spyware and rootkits.

As for the others, it is none of Microsoft's business at
regulating or steering how its products should be used or
evaluating one user versus another using stereotyping via
user input.

 

[DanS]

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify
you or contact you.

Bull**it. It may not be able to identify you personally, but an IP
address is traceable back to the location the connection was made if not
going through an anonymous proxy.

The only information collected in the validation
process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?
A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on
your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand
regional differences in Windows or Office usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared

How is the above info any of MS' business.

Alias

I have no idea how any of the above info could possibly be used in any
way that would apply to the three items listed.

 

[Robert Moir]

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This
process does not collect or send any information that can be used to
identify you or contact you. The only information collected in the
validation process is:

* Windows product key
* PC manufacturer
* Operating System version
* PID/SID
* BIOS information (make, version, date)
* BIOS MD5 Checksum
* User locale (language setting for displaying Windows)
* System locale (language version of the operating system)
* Office product key (if validating Office)
* Hard drive serial number

Q: How does Microsoft use this information?
A: The information serves three purposes:

* It provides Web page flow, tailoring the pages you see based on
your responses.
* It conveys demographics, which help Microsoft to understand
regional differences in Windows or Office usage.
* It confirms user input. User input is often compared

How is the above info any of MS' business.

Assuming one accepts the basic premise of the whole activation scheme in the
first place then this is the sort of information that would need to gather
in order to perform its function.

If you don't, then I can totally reccomend Apple. I just purchased a MacBook
and I think it's great. When this Windows based desktop dies in a few years
I'll be thinking strongly about getting a deskop type mac to replace it,
too.


--
--
Rob Moir, Microsoft MVP
Blog Site - http://www.robertmoir.com
Virtual PC 2004 FAQ - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html
I'm always surprised at "professionals" who STILL have to be asked "Have you
checked (event viewer / syslog)".

 

[Mr.E]

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify
you or contact you.
* Hard drive serial number

And your IP address plus your hard drive serial number won't id your
machine? BBBBSSSS!! A friend who is a large sysadmin firewall blocked
all MS and Hotmail addys from their network and field machines.

 

[Guest]

Does anyone know exactly which "demographics" can be "conveyed" to MS?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

"Our client software does not collect any information that can be used
to identify or contact a user. We use the same process used by many popular
search engines and Web sites to determine where their users are from --
a form of IP lookup. This IP lookup process does not include any information
that is used to identify you or contact you, and only gives a rough geographic
representation of where users are located."

Ref: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/04/ms_expands_antipiracy_program.html

Example: http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

Microsoft Online Privacy Notice Highlights
http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

Microsoft Online Privacy Statement
http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.aspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| Does anyone know exactly which "demographics" can be "conveyed" to MS?

 

[Pennywise]

|>Microsoft Online Privacy Statement
|>http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.aspx

Collect the info then change the rules...

"Changes to This Privacy Statement

We will occasionally update this privacy statement to reflect changes
in our services and customer feedback. When we post changes to this
Statement, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of this
statement. If there are material changes to this statement or in how
Microsoft will use your personal information, we will notify you
either by prominently posting a notice of such changes prior to
implementing the change or by directly sending you a notification. We
encourage you to periodically review this statement to be informed of
how Microsoft is protecting your information."

 

[Guest]

"Our client software does not collect any information that can be used
to identify or contact a user. We use the same process used by many popular
search engines and Web sites to determine where their users are from --
a form of IP lookup. This IP lookup process does not include any information
that is used to identify you or contact you, and only gives a rough geographic
representation of where users are located."

Ref: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/04/ms_expands_antipiracy_program.html

Example: http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

Microsoft Online Privacy Notice Highlights
http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

Microsoft Online Privacy Statement
http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.aspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| Does anyone know exactly which "demographics" can be "conveyed" to MS?

 

[Guest]

4:29 PM 6/2/2006 OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS ****

OOPS, MY LAST POST SHOULD HAVE READ:

Thanks Carey:

Wow cool stuff. I find the map especially fascinating.

http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

It looks like people in So. Cal. just dont' give a hoot about paying for
intellectual property.

Does anyond know what "... rough geographic representation of where users
are located" means?

 

[Noozer]

"Our client software does not collect any information that can be used
to identify or contact a user. We use the same process used by many
popular
search engines and Web sites to determine where their users are from --
a form of IP lookup. This IP lookup process does not include any
information
that is used to identify you or contact you, and only gives a rough
geographic
representation of where users are located."

Which is exactly the same as...

"We don't collect any information that can identify you personally. We only
collect your address, telephone number, current credit record, past and
presend jobs and school transcriptions. We do NOT collect your name."

Pretty stupid.

I'm already wiping about a dozen PC's for friends who are tired of this crap
and installing Linux.

Anyone want to buy some Microsoft software?

 

[Noozer]

4:29 PM 6/2/2006 OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS ****

OOPS, MY LAST POST SHOULD HAVE READ:

Thanks Carey:

Wow cool stuff. I find the map especially fascinating.

http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

It looks like people in So. Cal. just dont' give a hoot about paying for
intellectual property.

Does anyond know what "... rough geographic representation of where users
are located" means?

Just another skewed bunch of statistics... Of course there will be more
failures where there are more people... dumbasses.

How about the same map, except "Per capita".

 

[Noozer]

Information collected during validation
Q: What information is collected from my computer?
A: The genuine validation process will collect information about your
system to determine if your Microsoft software is genuine. This process
does not collect or send any information that can be used to identify you
or contact you. The only information collected in the validation process
is:

You know what's really sad.

Microsoft planned this reaction on purpose. Made the WGA really visible to
users, etc. After this issue festers long enough Microsoft will come out
with a "fix" that will hide the activity from users without actually
changing it's functionaly. The "people" will think that they won the battle
when nothing really will have changed.

 

[Ghostrider]

"Our client software does not collect any information that can be used
to identify or contact a user. We use the same process used by many popular
search engines and Web sites to determine where their users are from --
a form of IP lookup. This IP lookup process does not include any information
that is used to identify you or contact you, and only gives a rough geographic
representation of where users are located."

Ref: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/04/ms_expands_antipiracy_program.html

Example: http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

Microsoft Online Privacy Notice Highlights
http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

Microsoft Online Privacy Statement
http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/fullnotice.aspx

The problem, however, is having the data in the first place,
more specifically any data that can be mined ahd linked. And
perhaps it is coincidence and perhaps it is not but this drive
sure falls lockstep (maybe, goose step) into what this current
US Administration is seeking to accomplish. IOW, it is best not
even to keep the data in the first place. Eliminating WPA and
the use of WGA removes any excuse for the US Government to seek
such data through subpoena, search-and-seizure, etc. Microsoft
has other means to police and control its products within its
distribution network as well as eliminate the profitability of
counterfeiting and piracy.

 

[antioch]

Clipped/trimmed/severed whatever - sorry

I'm already wiping about a dozen PC's for friends who are tired of this
crap and installing Linux.

Anyone want to buy some Microsoft software?

Not bloody likely - you keep it - or better still, put it on ebay.
Get a bit of money back

 

[Ghostrider]

4:29 PM 6/2/2006 OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS OOPS ****

OOPS, MY LAST POST SHOULD HAVE READ:

Thanks Carey:

Wow cool stuff. I find the map especially fascinating.

http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

It looks like people in So. Cal. just dont' give a hoot about paying for
intellectual property.

Does anyond know what "... rough geographic representation of where users
are located" means?

This is an example of one use of demographics...stereotyping
of the Southern Californian. Ready to send a Federal Task Force
into Los Angeles to invoke martial law and seize all computers
and photocopying machines that can be used for copyright, nay,
DRM, infringement by that band of intellectual thieves known as
the Southern Californian? <:-}}

 

[Robert Moir]

Bull**it. It may not be able to identify you personally, but an IP
address is traceable back to the location the connection was made if
not going through an anonymous proxy.

Of course, given the way that TCP/IP works and that using TCP/IP is kinda a
requirement for the Internet, Microsoft (or anyone else for that matter)
have no choice about whether or not a tool running over the Internet sends
your IP address to the server it is trying to talk to.

Lets keep some perspective here.

 

[Robert Moir]

Pretty stupid.

I'm already wiping about a dozen PC's for friends who are tired of
this crap and installing Linux.

Every time you download Linux, the people supplying it know your IP address.
Better boycott them too. And hope there is a sale on tinfoil at your local
stores.

 

[Guest]

hahaha ... I am sending you a tin foil hat !!

This is an example of one use of demographics...stereotyping
of the Southern Californian. Ready to send a Federal Task Force
into Los Angeles to invoke martial law and seize all computers
and photocopying machines that can be used for copyright, nay,
DRM, infringement by that band of intellectual thieves known as
the Southern Californian? <:-}}

 

[Guest]

5:46 PM 6/2/2006

All of this data ... collected by so many entities, not just MS ...

Certainly could be a powerful tool for law enforcement ...

or a weapon for those who seek minority control of wealth and power ...

Quite a slippery slope indeed ... It goes like this ...

Clandestinely collect whatever records you can for:

The war on terror (a good thing, remember 9/11).

How about a war on child pornography -- wouldn't you allow a keylogger on
all machines if it would save ONE child? (a good thing).

a war on unsecure borders, then illegal immigration-- (a good thing).
just look at MS's distirbution map of failed validations-- it reflects
quite nicely the distribution of hispanics in this country.
http://windowsobserver.com/gallery2/v/WindowsGenuineAdvantage/slide5.jpg.html

a war on unpatriotic persons residing in the country-- the Pentagon
collecting information on that Quaker group in Florida for anti-war
activities (a good thing).

a war on unfavorable politcal activity-- stamp out skinheads and hate
crimes! (a good thing).

a war on anyone who disagrees with the political party currently in power
(and we KNOW who you are).

I have never felt so close to George Orwells horrific vision as I do now.
But I have so much faith in this country and its people ... I know that the
pendulum will soon swing the other way ... there are already signs. Whatever
the enemies of freedom have in store for this country, they will fail.