Google treading on Microsoft turf in Dell tests

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

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- -------- 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



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