Chinese Users Angered As Hacked OS "Fades to Black"

We've discussed Microsoft's plans to roll out the "Black Screen of Annoyance" to users with hacked copies of Windows XP or Windows Vista. Now, Microsoft's new tactic is to annoy users, but not disable their OS when a hacked copy is detected. Reaction of Chinese users makes one wonder if the "Great Firewall of China" is keeping them from knowing that information.

On the popular Chinese web portal Sina.com, one angry user wrote:

"Why is Microsoft automatically connected with my computer? The computer is mine! Microsoft has no right to control my hardware without my agreement."

Actually wrong, since the OS you are using is hacked, but anyway ... Another wrote:

"If the price of genuine software was lower than the fake one, who would buy the fake one?"

Well, he has a point there. An Internet cafe user said:

"If, when I'm programing, the computer screen goes black, that will probably cause some important information to be lost. Who will pay me for my loss then?"

Actually it won't. It's all about annoyance, nothing else.

Dong Zhengwei, 35, a Beijing lawyer, described Microsoft as the "biggest hacker in China with its intrusion into users' computer systems without their agreement or any judicial authority." He added:

"Microsoft's measure will cause serious functional damage to users' computers and, according to China's criminal law, the company can stand accused of breaching and hacking into computer systems. I respect the right of Microsoft to protect its intellectual property, but it is taking on the wrong target with wrong measures. They should target producers and sellers of fake software, not users."

It's actually not going to cause any damage. As Microsoft keeps saying, it's just annoying. However, that lawyer does have a point. According to China Daily,

Chinese law stipulates that a party will be considered guilty of illegal intrusion if it disrupts the normal functioning of computers by altering their operating systems.

Technically, one could say this was the case. But realistically, won't happen.