On 03/15/2013 10:08 PM, Michael Butash wrote:
I won't use skype for the same reason. I'd held off for x years
they've existed, and was going to make one finally as a client used it
for official and non im, but soon as microsoft bought them, I wrote
them off.
Microsoft will not say no if the government tells them to (antitrust,
anyone?). Blackberry did this in india actually making the news
forced to give up access to a foreign government, but no news here as
they already do. They'll have your cell or wired isp give up raw
bitstreams of your traffic with or without a subpoena if they're that
interested.
I was reminded of this when I read an article today in The Register
about Canonical working with the Chinese government to produce a version
of ubuntu customized for China.
From
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/22/china_makes_linux_os_with_canonical_help/
Because the software is open source it's unlikely that any backdoors
could be added into the Ubuntu OS without the global Linux community
taking notice.
This contrasts with Skype, which is available in a Chinese-flavour that
spies on its users and logs information about them talking or making
phone calls about sensitive subjects to the repressive state. The
software is delivered as a partnership between local company TOM Online
and Microsoft
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-08/skypes-been-hijacked-in-china-and-microsoft-is-o-dot-k-dot-with-it>.
--
"I get my copy of the daily paper, look at the obituaries page, and if I’m not
there, I carry on as usual."
Patrick Moore
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