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12/12/2005 Archived Entry: "Big Brother's name is "Bill"."

Microsoft is now offering a new service: "Locate Me", part of their new Windows Live Local. If you're using Wi-Fi and you install their software, the jig is up: they can identify your physical position...to five decimal places, according to the Inquirer. Supposedly, even if you don't install their software, they can pin down your IP address with some accuracy. (I can't say for sure -- the service doesn't work for me, probably because I don't use Internet Explorer.)

Needless to say, those paragons of libertarian values are offering this information to any government agency that asks. That's bad enough, but they're also going to use this information freely to "protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft." Couple this with their ever-more-invasive software "activation" spyware, and it's easy to imagine raids by Business Software Alliance goons, tipped to the geolocation of a single copy of MS Office installed on two home machines.

Are you sure you want to use their products?  —brad

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