Some time in the last month to six weeks back I thought that I noticed a small change in the wording of the "Windows Update" "note" on its "Welcome" page.
Where it now said ""...does not collect any personally indetifiable information..." it was my impression that it HAD previously said something along the lines of 'does not send any information TO Microsoft'.

Of course it was impossible to confirm this, but now I'm pretty sure that I was right.

As a renowned WHINER, this kind of thing pi**es me off, but my guess is that more and more people will simply say 'ho-hum, if it's good for me then I don't care'.

This turn of events is exactly why people object to ANY kind of change to the status quo when it comes to this kind of stuff ("information gathering" and such). They are proved right time and time again - the simple initial application, seemingly so innocuous, is ALWAYS the "thin edge of the wedge" and the beginning of a slide down the "slippery slope".

What I have installed on my systems may arguable be some of MS' business, but the fact that they CAN learn it through remote automated means does NOT mean that they should do so. There are reasons why search warrants and other procedures exist.

With XML (deep data standardization) and so many other commonly installed/used facilities (Outlook and such) it will be just a matter of time before "THEY" know what you eat for breakfast, what toilet paper brand you use, who you meet with, what diseases/disabilities you have, etc and this is NOT A GOOD THING!


>http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/29519.html