A Fascinating Microsoft RUMOR

We were just talking to one of our local Mac techs ('cause our G5 took a dump, but that's another story).

One topic led to another until the conversation came around to Windows Media Player 7. Install MP7 (as it is affectionately known) on your PC and you can play your tunes, watch your videos and etc. Cool right ? Right !

However, and this is a big HOWEVER, according to the RUMOR from our source, MP7 has some additional interesting features. It will:
1. Inventory all Microsoft software on your hard drive;
2. Report the information to a central Microsoft server, which will;
3. Check to make sure the software is licensed to that machine (nevermind the copy of your wife's Word program) and report back to your MP7, which will;
4. Disable any "pirated" software on your machine( like the copy of your wife's Word program, AND (here's the real kicker)
5. Also disable the original software at the source from which it was "pirated", or in the case of your wife, borrowed.

Is this nightmare scenario true ? We are not geeks, but a little googling reveals concern about Microsoft's Digital Rights Management agreement you sign on to when you click that box that says you have read and understood a document you (and we) never bother to read.
It says:

* Digital Rights Management (Security). You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ("Secure Content"), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update.

That language sounds to us like Media Player 7 will "disable . . . other software on your computer" because that's exactly what it says it will do. Whether it behaves in exactly the way the RUMOR we are reporting here describes we have not yet determined. Are we going to install it to find out ? No.

We tried googling around on the subject and found nothing, which is a sharp blow against the RUMOR because we think the blogosphere would be going cukoo if this Microsoft "report and destroy" system were operating as RUMORED.

A check of various web hoax detection and reporting sites revealed nothing. Of course, we didn't hear this RUMOR on the web, so maybe that doesn't count.

Our call to a Microsoft flack charged with responding to inquiries regarding MP7 went unanswered. Perhaps he was unimpressed with our low-power radio/blogosphere credentials. Maybe he has something to hide.

Our source is anonymous because he has to work with Microsoft and fears retaliation. From Microsoft ?

We will keep working on the RUMOR and keep you posted while you and we

Stay Naked
jd