Microsoft has once again become the target of a new civil lawsuit after a man from California alleged that the company violated spyware regulations. The lawsuit was officially filed in the Seattle district court this past Monday.
The lawsuit centers around the “phone home” feature of Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy program. This feature allows computers with the software installed to connect daily to Microsoft’s servers to check for updates to configuration files.
Privacy advocates have condemned Microsoft’s new method. Consequently, the software developer decided to remove this feature from the software starting this past Tuesday. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s decision came after Brian Johnson filed the lawsuit against the company.
According to the lawsuit, Brian claims that the “phone home” function of the Windows Genuine Advantage software has violated both California and Washington spyware laws—where Microsoft is headquartered. The spyware laws stipulate that users must be warned in advance about any processes that link to reporting back to the software provider.
The lawsuit does not seek damages from Microsoft but aims to prevent the continued use of this feature in future versions of Windows Genuine Advantage software. If Microsoft is found guilty of violating the legal provisions, the company may face fines.
Microsoft has denied Brian’s allegations, asserting that they misrepresent the true purpose of Windows Genuine Advantage. However, a Microsoft spokesperson also indicated that the company will continue to modify the software based on customer feedback.
Hoàng Dũng
