Proprietary Software Is Often Malware
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Latest additions
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2024-03 Microsoft is using malware tactics to get users to switch to their web browser , Microsoft Edge, and their search engine, Microsoft Bing. When users launch the Google Chrome browser Microsoft injects a pop up advertisement in the corner of the screen advising users to switch to Bing. Microsoft also imported users Chrome browsing data without their knowledge or consent. -
2024-03 GM is spying on drivers who own or rent their cars, and give away detailed driving data to insurance companies through data brokers. These companies then analyze the data, and hike up insurance prices if they think the data denotes “risky driving.” For the car to make this data available to anyone but the owner or renter of the car should be a crime. If the car is owned by a rental company, that company should not have access to it either. -
2023-12 Surveillance cameras put in by government A to surveil for it may be surveilling for government B as well. That's because A put in a product made by B with nonfree software . (Please note that this article misuses the word “ hack ” to mean “break security.”) -
2023-11 Microsoft has been annoying people who wanted to close the proprietary program OneDrive on their computers, forcing them to give the reason why they were closing it . This prompt was removed after public pressure. This is a reminder that angry users still have the power to make developers of proprietary software remove small annoyances. Don't count on public outcry to make them remove more profitable malware, though. Run away from proprietary software! -
2023-12 Newag, a Polish railway manufacturer, puts DRM inside trains to prevent third-party repairs . The train's software contains code to detect if the GPS coordinates are near some third party repairers, or the train has not been running for some time. If yes, the train will be “locked up” (i.e. bricked). It was also possible to unlock it by pressing a secret combination of buttons in the cockpit, but this ability was removed by a manufacturer's software update. The train will also lock up after a certain date, which is hardcoded in the software. The company pushes a software update that detects if the DRM code has been bypassed, i.e. the lock should have been engaged but the train is still operational. If yes, the controller cabin screen will display a scary message warning about “copyright violation”.