Microsoft as Internet Cop

[allardjd 1,853]

Not exactly flight simulator specific, but as active users of the Internet, this is something most of us are likely to be interested in and/or affected by...

 

https://apnews.com/191032549cca44b9b1b74e1d130a04e5/Microsoft's-anti-hacking-efforts-make-it-an-internet-cop

 

This is a really interesting, long-standing effort by Microsoft but I was not aware of it until I saw this article  Not sure yet if this activity is as lily-white as advertised - I'm the skeptical type - but, as described, it certainly seems preferable to the naked political bias of recent actions by Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google, and probably some of the other social media mega-players.  On the surface at least, it appears Microsoft is doing something that seems laudable.

 

My local computer shop guru, Jon, has long maintained that MS has a vested interest in all of us having a positive experience when using their OS and because of that he's always trusted their security software, e.g. MS Security Essentials, et al, over the other commercial and freeware varieties.  He believes those outfits' best interests are served by keeping us scared to death all the time, so we eagerly buy and use thier products.  Jon doesn't profess that their products don't do what they are supposed to but that the companies are very good at keeping us constantly nervous.  MS, on the other hand, would like us constantly comfortable because they are the ones providing the platform we're using.  I have to say, that Jon's opinoin makes some sense to me.  Applied to the subject of the article, this might indicate that MS really is doing something worthwhile here.

 

I've long had a serious mistrust of all the social media platforms and stay away from most of them as much as I can, though haven't been able to avoid some interplay with Google and to a lesser extent, YouTube.  I would if I could.  In my opinion, MS is a bit better than the rest, less nakedly biased and, most importantly, with a revenue stream other than presenting ads to users or selling access to users or their data to advertisers, political organizations and other even more odiferous enterprises.  

 

I get almost all my news from the internet, and find recent initiatives to attack "hate speech" troubling.  The problem, of course, is who defines what constitutes "hate speech".  

 

John

 

[wain 879]

I agree with your thought John regarding they want us to feel safe and continue to use their products without any fear.....I am not on any social media so I have no comments but I am ok with google helping me with useful info on my phone..shops, restaurants, public transport etc...

[brett 2,285]

Well both my wife and myself have been hit with attacks using their security stuff so I switched to an outside company and haven't have trouble since.

 

I also question the Russian top bosses and wonder why if they are so good at hacking why does everything lead right back to them. Even top security companies only give these hacks a medium level of supposed responsibility to the Russians despite what our media would have us believe. Heck they even poisoned people using their own proprietary poison. They do have a lot more to lose now and in the long run so why? The conspiracy theorist in me says others have a lot more to gain in these findings than the Russians, LOL. 

 

It's good that MS is fighting these fake sites and I wish others would do the same for our own mental and physical security as the internet and social media sites seem to be so important to people nowadays. I don't really use social media for my political needs either but do hope the websites I do use are on the up and up when researching people I will be voting for. Unfortunately I now need to look up whether the sites I'm using are biased one way or the other which was something I never needed to do before as I just used common sense but many are so good at hiding bias it takes much more research. It wasn't so long ago that I used newspapers do this very same thing and it wasn't so hard to know there bias because it wasn't so prevalent. 

[J G 927]

'conspiracy theorist in me says others have a lot more to gain in these findingsthan the Russians,' 

 

I think you are over thinking it Brett. The other and most likely explanation is that the Russians are incompetent. 

 

Salisbury is very dear to me as I am there about one weekend a month. My in-laws live there. I have seen the large areas sealed off and guarded by police 24 hours a day as a result of the Novichok poisonings.

 

It makes me very angry to see such a blight to what is a very beautiful city, and to think how much worse it could have been if a group of young girls had found that abandoned bottle of perfume. 

Edited August 23, 2018 by J G
JG going of on one because of the Novichock poisoning.