Microsoft's Piracy CheckSEATTLE (AP) -- Microsoft's drawing complaints and lawsuits over
the way it checks for pirated copies of its Windows operating
system.
Eighteen months after announcing the piracy check, Microsoft
faces controversy and backlash, including two lawsuits.
While Microsoft had told users the new software would gather
information related to piracy, some people became alarmed when they
discovered the software also was performing a daily check-in with
the company. Microsoft has since discontinued the daily check and
revised its disclosures.
But critics saw the undisclosed communications as a breach of
privacy and trust. Microsoft faces two federal lawsuits over the
software, both of which accuse the company of violating laws that
seek to combat spyware. The lawsuits seek class-action status.