Troubleshooters.Com and Microsoft Passport License Dangers Present

Don't Believe Microsoft's ~~Coming~~ Apology

Microsoft got caught trying to pull a fast one on John Q. Public. That's a lot different than pulling a fast one on Netscape or Sun. John Q. Public don't quit screaming, they vote, and they buy software. So I predict Microsoft will change the license and then say something like "it was a mistake of one of our overexuberant lawyers".

Editors Note: In fact, my prediction came true late on April 4, 2001, a day or so after I wrote the preceding paragraph. A Microsoft named Tom Pilla was widely quoted as saying something to the effect that it was "a mishap", and that people shouldn't think ill of Microsoft :-)

Don't believe it for a second. The fact that it even occurred to anyone to insert that language says volumes about Microsoft and its ethics. I would never write a contract to commandeer someone's private data. I don't think any ethical person or company would.

A buddy once told me of an old carney trick. Crooked vendors at the carnival would short change every customer, making a fortune. Once in a while a customer would catch them in the act, and when that happened, the carney vendor would apologize profusely and quickly give the customer whatever the customer said he was owed. That way the crook never got in trouble, but over the long haul, he made a fortune.

They Can Always Change It Back

Troubleshooters.Com won't be too quick to reverse our Passport prohibitions after Microsoft folds under public pressure and eliminates the "all your data is ours" contract language. That's because Microsoft also has language saying that if the user uses Passport after any change in the Microsoft Passport Web Site Terms of Use and Notices, the user is bound by the new language. So it's perfectly possible for Microsoft to relent for a few months, then quietly change back and begin appropriating users's information, and conceivably copyrighted information of non-users contained in user's emails and uploads.

Email Steve Litt (but not from hotmail)