Now I ask you, do you hit "Send" to inform Microsoft every time that little dialog box pops up when a program--like Word--crashes again? I guess Microsoft is getting edgy about us not sending them the information that want.
Yep, Big-Brother-Software-Giant is putting spies in your computer. This time it's not Hal talking; it's a Microsoft 'black box' for Windows.
In the near future, when your black-box-enabled computer crashes, the black box contents--showing everything you were doing with your computer, including contents of emails and documents and your Internet browsing history--will be sent to Microsoft for analysis. Most companies will undoubtedly also ask their internal IT department staffers to examine those contents, and woe to those who were doing the wrong thing.
You know, I learned not to lie when I was a little kid, of course, because God didn't like it. But also in no small measure because my parents caught me sometimes--and meted out strong justice often enough that I concluded permanently that lying wasn't worth the price. But it feels somehow different to be spied on as an adult. Yet many companies already do it--some even tap employee telephones.
Guess we all better start thinking twice before playing games or emailing about finding a new job while we're at work. And of course, the next step will be collecting everything we've ever done from our computer--and who knows, maybe even the government going to Microsoft for documents and emails to profile "suspicious" people.
Surveys have indicated that younger people say they're much less concerned about privacy than older people. I wonder if the black box and its ilk will change that anytime soon?
Also posted to BlogforBusiness.com
Article comments