Across China thousands of computer screens are turning dark. The reason is a piece of software from a US firm.
Software giant is deactivating unauthorised copies of its Windows operating system, in a nation where 鈥� even if many end users do not know it.
The deployment of in China has sparked outrage from computer users all over the country. If a validation test is failed, the software changes the desktop background to a black screen every 60 minutes and displays constant warning messages.
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Some users fear that their data is at risk because the package can disable some Windows features. The package has been used in many other parts of the world for several years, but was only enabled for Chinese language systems this month.
Dong Zhengwei, a Beijing lawyer claims in the China Daily that Microsoft鈥檚 action could even be illegal under Chinese law. He calls the company the 鈥渂iggest hacker in China with its intrusion into users鈥� computer systems without their agreement or any judicial authority鈥�.
Zhengwei is one of many that say the crackdown unfairly harms users unable to know if the software they bought was genuine. Others claim Microsoft鈥檚 high prices are responsible for the problem.
The software giant defends its use of the program, saying its goal is to 鈥渉elp our customers to determine (if) genuine software is installed on their computers,鈥� Microsoft told Reuters.
Computer Crime 鈥� Learn more about the threats to your PC in our comprehensive .
