China bans Windows 8

[viking60]

China has banned the use of Windows 8 on government computers
as part of an "energy-saving" policy.

There is reason to believe that other factors than energy saving have played a role here.
The official news agency - Xinhua - did report that the ban was to ensure computer security after Microsoft ended support for Windows XP.

Neither the government nor Xinhua elaborated on how the ban supported the use of energy-saving products or how it ensured security.

Microsoft is surprised by this:

"We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8 in this notice," the company said in a statement. "Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement requirements.

It is a fair assumption that MS will be able to come up with some theories why the Chinese government did this though.

Maybe something about Windows 8 integration with Microsoft clouds on US servers?

More here

[R_Head]

In Lawyer's lingo...

working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process

Regular people's lingo...
Trying hard bribing goverment officials.

[viking60]

In addition it cannot be ruled out that MS has a close cooperation with the US government - and that the Chinese kind of don't trust the NSA.
The US has accused China of cyber crime and espionage on several occasions and they have warned against chines routers because they were manipulated to spy.
So the US intercepted them...and manipulated them to spy

The US is against it and for it. I guess it is better to be spied upon by the US than China - but I don't have to like it either way.

Microsoft is a key operator in the US dream of world surveillance: if they manage to lock all hardware down to Windows 8 they will have the possibility to upgrade the Bios with backdoors (Arkstream).

I am sure the Chines have similar dreams though and I would rather not see them having world cyber domination.

The one thing that bothers me the most is that neither of them care about our privacy - that's collateral damage.

[R_Head]

All this Cyber meme is bullshit.

When I was system admin the biggest problem was and still is physical security.

Important networks like the ones run by utility companies and the ones with sensitive information are isolated. There are not connected to the web.

The whole privacy thing is that data is power and also data is money.
Collect the data and sell it to the highest bidder.
All for Good or Bad; money is money, right?

Everything is Money/Wealth driven.

On each event, think who wakes a profit and you will see little leaflets that we use as currency leaving a trail.

All wars are bankers wars.

Let's take for example Zimbawe...
The IMF and "other nations" put sanctions on them because pissed some people off that were making money.
At one point, their currency worth more than the US Dollar and now with financial crush they do not have any currency; they just use other nations currency.
All, without firing a single shot.

Now, if there is some in there that "they" really need...
You seen it in the news.

So you want to sell security?
Just make up a Boogieman; people will follow.

[viking60]

They do not need to be connected to the web; there are transmitters in the hardware so they send good old radio waves.

http://rt.com/usa/nsa-radio-wave-cyberattack-607/

And it does not help to sell security against that - unless you are selling isolated chambers resembling refrigerators

Hm maybe I can make some good business out of my old refrigerator yet...

[R_Head]

My dear Viking, you got that from RT?
Sorry but no offense, that is a very propagandistic site.

During my days; we used to either take the wireless NIC or order the systems without any RF connection.
First rule to isolate the system all had to be done by hard wires.

Search for TEMPEST Compliance

[viking60]

OK sorry about that:
Take it from the New York Times then:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/us/ns ... .html?_r=0

or Foxnews

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01 ... port-says/

I don't know if they are less propagandistic but I believe they have an OK reputation.

[R_Head]

Seriously my dear Viking?
Sorry man, no offense but that does not cuts it either.
Their jobs is to sell News Papers, shows to Viewers (distractions) and deliver an agenda per their "sponsors".
Here is some for you to look at some Cookie Crumbs 1 Cookie Crumbs 2 now you tell me what they can do.

The real info is not published in the open.

We can say is scattered; start digging by world events and who is around them (company news, contracts, talks, etc...).
News outlets either "cover" the news or leaves small trails on what to invest.
Real news is a mosaic of different bits and pieces of info; kind of putting a puzzle together.

For example, the whole Ukraine ruckus is about Natural Gas; just follow the pipelines and what is around them, they leave cookie crumbs.
But they never leave info in the open in a single place.

[Snorkasaurus]

Regular people's lingo...
Trying hard bribing goverment officials.

If only more people understood the day to day policies and behaviours inside government and corporations.

S.

[Snorkasaurus]

Sorry man, no offense but that does not cuts it either.
Their jobs is to sell News Papers, shows to Viewers (distractions) and deliver an agenda per their "sponsors".

In a sad way, pretty well everyone's job is to sell something in some way.
S.

[R_Head]

Is all about money and is so true the old cliché that "money is power".

Have anybody search on Skoll n B0nez. Spell it correctly and look into it.

Give it a little though about who can be and their behaviors start to make sense.