[IP] Google treading on Microsoft turf in Dell tests

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1



- -------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [IP] Google treading on Microsoft turf in Dell tests]
Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:18:31 -0500
From: Steven M. Bellovin <smb@cs.columbia.edu>
To: dave@farber.net

There was a long article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about this;
I contemplated sending it to you for possible forwarding to the IP
list.  My concern isn't about the Microsoft versus Google fight -- the
WSJ article focused on efforts by vendors such as Dell and HP to have
the right to include more alternative software packages with Windows --
but rather about the privacy implications.  When I download something
like Google toolbar, I'm aware that I'm doing so, and I at least have
the option of considering the privacy implications; more importantly, I
then know that I have the software installed and know to check the
privacy-related options.  If, on the other hand, it's installed
silently by a vendor, I don't know that it's there and I don't know
what it does.  This worries me.


		--Steven M. Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb



-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (MingW32)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFD65+EtcdvoAezhUsRAob7AKCW9FRpjqHxLLn00pdz72ZVZrYlxgCgjBbI
81js7HzMe6DKU7pz3effF1U=
=IgxO
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

-------------------------------------
To manage your subscription, go to
  http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/