back to article Microsoft delivers secure China-only cut of Windows 10

Microsoft's supremo for China has told state-owned China Daily that Redmond's ready roll out version of Windows 10 with extra security features demanded by China's government. "We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. It has been tested by three large enterprise customers," Alain …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    So...

    Do they actually get a non-spying version of windows 10 or just one where the chinese government is spying on them ?

    1. alain williams Silver badge

      Re: So...

      Do they actually get a non-spying version of windows 10 or just one where the chinese government is spying on them ?

      That is one of the advantages of closed source software: the users do not know.

    2. Paul Crawford Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: So...

      Can we in the west get a choice of who spies on us please?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: So...

        No. You get CIA, NSA, or GCHQ. They're all best buds and all getting a piece of your a....

      2. Halfmad

        Re: So...

        A choice, like the EU browser choice window only country flags showing who you want your data to be shared with first. I'd suggest making the US flag into the shape of the old IE logo and forcing it to be default anyway.

  2. Zog_but_not_the_first
    Facepalm

    Perhaps...

    If the Chinese only version is free of the telemetry malware, Windows 10 uptake might benefit from users switching to er, "grey imports".

    The deep, deep irony of it all.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Perhaps...

      Are you sure it is not collecting telemetry to a different destination instead?

      1. Mage Silver badge

        Re: Perhaps...

        Chinese worry me less than Microsoft, GCHQ and NSA.

        1. David Neil
          Trollface

          Re: Perhaps...

          Great bunch of lads

        2. sabroni Silver badge

          Re: Chinese worry me less than Microsoft, GCHQ and NSA.

          But you're ok with Google?

          1. fishman

            Re: Chinese worry me less than Microsoft, GCHQ and NSA.

            "But you're ok with Google?"

            Google doesn't bother me - they will just throw ads at me, where governments can throw me in jail.*

            *Of course, if Google [or others] has the data, governments can force Google to surrender the data.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Chinese worry me less than Microsoft, GCHQ and NSA.

              "* [] governments can force Google to surrender the data"

              That is a problem, but the bigger issue, and one easier to manage is; can Google be allowed to report the fact that any of its' customers are getting their data and/or connections reported to a government agency, and for what purpose? Not to out individuals or any ongoing investigations, but to give some transparency as to how much of this activity is going on altogether.

              All the big players have stated and are trying to get to a point where they can shed some light into this dark alley. THAT is why I have no problem with Google/Apple/Facebark, but do with the three letter agencies, GCHQ, and their Easter Bloc equivalents. You said it:

              "governments can throw me in jail"

              And for nothing more than saying "for national security." That's all she wrote, seize your home, money and property. Just like that.

            2. Updraft102

              Re: Chinese worry me less than Microsoft, GCHQ and NSA.

              And by force, you mean ask for? That's all it takes.

        3. Primus Secundus Tertius

          Re: Perhaps...

          @Mage

          Within reason (that typically British phrase) I can live with being spied on by the authorities. What I strongly object to is being spied on by the usual suspects: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, ...

          I get the impression that American preferences are the other way: they allow almost anything from corporates but not from government.

          So much for the Internet uniting the world. It actually shows how divided we are.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Perhaps...

            My preference is to be spied upon by neither. Am I allowed to have that preference, or must I pick one? If I had to pick between being spied upon by Google/Facebook/Microsoft, or NSA/FBI/CIA/GCHQ/MI6 or China, I'd pick the latter.

            China doesn't have any reason to care about what I do, so they'd file it away in a dark hole and ignore it. Google, Facebook and other companies that make all their money from collecting personal data to sell me to advertisers have the biggest and most annoying impact on my daily life.

            While my government or its best buddy (well the UK was our best buddy until Trump decided it should be Russia instead) collecting data on me is and should be innocuous, it has by far the most severe potential impact on me as they control my freedom. Just because they can't take it away for "thought crimes" in today's US doesn't mean it can't happen in my lifetime. The fires of nationalism Trump is stoking have historically never been good for the freedom of a country's citizens.

          2. Updraft102

            Re: Perhaps...

            If any American thinks there is such a thing as being spied upon by corporations but not by the government... well, he's not been paying attention, to put it charitably. Whatever the corporations have (and it's a lot), the government has.

          3. LTJX
            Go

            Re: Perhaps...

            There is actually some good logic supporting a greater fear of state control/snooping versus that by private corporations. While sometimes quite powerful, even large corporations cannot detain you, lock you in a cell for years at a time, or use deadly violence against you as they see fit.

            The state has a largely unchallenged monopoly on all of these tactics. And if you don't believe that the state is ultimately based on exclusive rights to the unlimited use of violence, just try withholding your tax payments (if this is still an option in your locale) as a protest against whatever. The state and/or federal authorities will begin nicely enough with crisp letters and warnings, maybe even a grace period if you're lucky. But if you continue to resist, and to persist in your protest, or if you just fail to fully comply with your "orders", eventually "push comes to shove" and well-armed men will arrive to knock very hard on your front door, intending to take possession of you, the offending human. If you still continue to resist in any physical way, these men are ultimately authorized to send a stream of lead-based projectiles in your direction, at a high enough velocity to end your bad deeds for good.

            Corporations have no such options on your life.

        4. d3vy

          Re: Perhaps...

          "Chinese worry me less than Microsoft, GCHQ and NSA"

          What?!?!

  3. CAPS LOCK

    ISTR the Chinese gubmint were developing their own Linux...

    ...Why yes they were: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/22/china_makes_linux_os_with_canonical_help/

    Perhaps the source was too open for their liking?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You can't have the source code but here's your special back door version and instructions on how to use your firewall to stop external access.

    1. memory_leak
      Devil

      You mean, here is manual on how to open your users firewall so you can spy on them?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Meanwhile, IBM is building an SAP Cloud behind the Great Firewall, which will involve their lover, Lenovo.

  6. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Why isn't it called Microsoft Yellow? Microsoft Red would be for the Russkies surely?

    And Microsoft Blue is what the western countries feel like knowing they are being spied on.

    1. K.o.R

      Well Microsoft Blue, er, Azure is already a thing so..

    2. d3vy

      "Why isn't it called Microsoft Yellow"

      Because that would sound slightly racist whereas the red clearly relates to the fact it's a communist country (which Russia no longer is)

  7. Cooker

    Comes pre-installed with a hosts file to redirect telemetry output to Chinese state controlled servers.

    1. Remy Redert

      Except as already established previously, the telemetry ignores the host file. You need a separate firewall to deal with it. And I'm not sure if a firewall on the same PC will work.

      1. memory_leak

        You could use a virtual box on from within your linux to run windows if you realy need it so you can controll traffic in and out from the windows ;-). Lets face it, in most cases, we just need (unfortunately) windows hardware drivers and one or another application still exclusive to windows.

  8. nijam Silver badge

    We don't need Microsoft to tell us how it's been changed, we can work it out. Some of the more meretricious spyware has been removed, but the rest of it has been reconfigured to copy the Chinese government in. Oh, and a back door of course... ah, but wait, that's there already. Just needed to change the lock and give the Chinese the new keys.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Microsoft delivers secure Windows 10

    "We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. It has been tested by three large enterprise customers"

    We've taken out all the NSA bugware, it has become acedemic seeing as they now control the root CAs ..

    Also, the backdoor we gave the Chinese has a backdoor into the backdoor that gives the NSA access to the Chinese 'secure' Windows 10 :)

  10. Herby

    I can see it now....

    #if WINDOWS==RED

    #include "send info to chicoms"

    #else

    #include "send info to CIA/GCHQ"

    #endif

    I would put in a "Joke Alert" icon, but it might be true....

  11. David 132 Silver badge

    market size

    To understand why, consider that China's military has over two million active service personnel, the nation's railways employ similar numbers and Microsoft’s partner China Electronics Technology Group Corp has more than 140,000 people on its books.

    So that's a grand total of maybe 500 licences that MSFT will sell, then - this being China we're talking about.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: market size

      Yep! And, wait for it, here comes a "brand new OS from China" Windoors China 2018!

      "Hey, this is just regular Win10 with a cheap, knock-off GUI."

      SHHHH!!1! It's a totally new OS, guy. It's all locked down, and now you can't prove that it's not. Enjoy your copy of Windoors China 2018! You don't even need to download it, just wake up, check your computer, and there you go. You're already running Windoors China 2018! Enjoy!

      "What's all that traffic on my LAN? Who are these users?"

      SHHHH! You keep enjoying Windoors China 2018! Do not make trouble for yourself or your family, guy!

  12. Milton

    Kto kvo?

    Ordinary citizens get a version of Windows "secured" to limit any attempt to be anonymous or burrow through the Great Firewall and to ensure the Chinese government can maintain surveillance.

    The Chinese military and security services will not touch it with a bargepole, using their own Linux and sui generis systems.

    Microsoft makes some money selling its increasingly shitty and exploitative OS and continues to roll out the same excuses as Google and a host of other greedmongers, as if to pretend that China doesn't routinely oppress and murder its own citizens.

    There is something darkly amusing about the use of the word "secure" in such circumstances.

  13. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    "Alain Crozier, CEO of Microsoft Greater China"

    Just out of idle curiousity - what territories does that cover? Besides, I'm assuming, the PRC, Tibet and Taiwan?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "PRC, Tibet and Taiwan?"

      Listen, don't mention Tibet! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right. So! It's all forgotten now, and let's hear no more about it. So, that's two egg mayonnaise, a Great Firewall, a Back Door, and four Telemetry salads.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No worries if the west ever needs to invade China just wait until windows 10 gets its next major 'update'. Who needs malware when the OS is so successful at borking itself.

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