Maybe They Should Call It MS Pro-Spyware
By David Coursey
Published by eWeek: July 11, 2005.
Opinion: Alternatively, Microsoft could try telling customers what they need to know.
There's a quick way for Microsoft to extract itself from the controversy over its anti-spyware program and its rumored plan to buy Claria, the big spyware company. I can also think of a slow way, but the quick one is more fun.
Here goes: Just change the name of the software from Microsoft Anti-Spyware to Microsoft Pro-Spyware, since that seems to be where the company is headed. How else to explain Microsoft's willingness to "upgrade" several pieces of spyware from a "remove" recommendation to "ignore," but its unwillingness to explain why the action was taken? ADVERTISEMENT In this spirit, Microsoft might instead change the name of its software to Microsoft Spyware, which would be especially appropriate should Microsoft buy Claria.
There may be a better course, but it's slower. And it would require some heads-up thinking in Redmond.
This plan requires Microsoft to improve—that is become more publicly accountable for—its behavior. Microsoft expects customers to give it their trust, but won't provide the information necessary to show that that trust is well placed.
Microsoft owes its customers very specific information about why it considers a particular piece of software to be spyware. Then, customers need to be fully informed when Microsoft changes its recommendations. Microsoft should not make any recommendation besides "delete" unless it's willing to provide a report card on each piece of spyware so that customers can decide for themselves what action to take.
In the current case, Microsoft customers deserve to know why several pieces of spyware were recently changed from "remove" to "ignore." Have the companies responsible for this spyware changed their behavior? And, if so, how? Or has Microsoft changed its criteria? Microsoft needs to explain.
Read the full article here at eWEEK.