<p>^ Guys, I just got through saying this lol.</p>
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<p>Anyone can legally access the files on your computer if you give them explicit permission and agree to connect to their computer.</p>
<p>^Yeah, I know about that. But when do you give Microsoft ‘explicit permission’ to do that?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t expect this level of paranoia from this board.</p>
<p>Unless you’re someone important (important enough to attract a “hacker”) or ■■■■■■■■ (enough to get a trojan or use a laptop in your home that is issued by the govt), then you have nothing to worry about. Deliberately buying a laptop without a webcam? Are you kidding me?</p>
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<p>Microsoft provides IT support for their products through email, phone, and chat. I believe (I’m not entirely sure though, I’m just generalizing it to IT support) that if you cannot solve your problems despite following the IT employee’s instructions, you may give your permission to allow the employee to gain remote control of your computer, including access to pertinent files. If this is true, I’m sure they have security and privacy employee codes that restrict them from viewing anything that doesn’t relate to the problem at hand (emphasizing “pertinent files”). You would still be able to see what they’re doing (where they move the mouse, what folders they open, etc.) on your own computer screen, and they should inform and prompt you before making any changes.</p>
<p>I took Mosby’s statement to mean that Microsoft could access any file of yours any time, which is hard to believe. If he meant that^, then yeah, okay.</p>
<p>This laptop took too much information! Even more than the government does when they are monitoring computers for terrorism or p0rn0graphy!
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<p>BTW: don’t you submit “agree” or “accept” when you initiate a new computer? I’m guessing what you agree to is their remote services, i.e. RATs.</p>
<p>I’ve used remote support from Dell. They had a program preinstalled to allow this but you had to enable the computer for a Dell remote session.</p>
<p>yeah i saw that like 2 weeks ago. Now it’s national news.</p>
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<p>That’s what I meant. Source: The license agreement on my new laptop (I’m one of those people who actually read them.).</p>
<p>Given, they say they will only do so “To prevent piracy of microsoft products, protect employees of microsoft and affiliates, and in response to requests from law enforcement agencies.”</p>
<p>So the only way to be safe is to unplug the thing and remove the wireless chip.</p>
<p>^ Oh lol. But in that case, if you’ve done something illegal that relates to your computer habits, you give up all your privacy rights to officials, I think.</p>
<p>As a side note, Microsoft stores all of your Microsoft product usage information in “index.dat,” which is hidden and protected from most conventional searches on XP, Vista, and 7. So cookies, searches, and web history from Internet Explorer, as well as emails and files saved on Microsoft Products (Outlook, Word, etc.), are indexed into that data file and stored even when think you’ve deleted them. Just another reason to ditch Microsoft products and go with open-source lol.</p>
<p>^ It’s not just if you do something illegal. It’s also if they think you might have or be about to. No court orders required.</p>
<p>oh boy, now it’s a “headline” on Yahoo, and the family was on GMA. This will not end well for the school district…</p>
<p>^^ Honestly, if you’re not doing anything illegal, they’re probably not going to search you. If law enforcement is going to spend the time to go through you’re computer, they’re going to have a damn good reason. It’s not just because they’re bored. </p>
<p>I am interested, if there are any lawyers here, whether or not that would even be legal. It seems like you WOULD need a court order, at the very least to be admissible in court.</p>
<p>lol I used to go to school near lower merion district… (north penn district). laptops with webcams freak me out because someone could be watching me… nevermind.</p>
<p>^^ Normally you would, and probably a law enforcement agency would still do so… But when you set up your PC you signed a contract giving Microsoft the right to access your files whenever they deem it neccesary and thus gave up your legal protection… I imagine you could still have a chance in court if they misused it, but Microsoft has plenty of money for layers…</p>
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<p>This scares me even more than the spying laptops. Isn’t the Constitution being taught any more?</p>
<p>^ My sentence under DID question the legality of that. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Plus, if you signed a contract, then you signed a contract. People sign contracts all the time without knowing what’s in them. If you gave them permission, then it’s not their fault that you didn’t read what you signed. Just saying.</p>
<p>^ I know. I just wonder how many Americans realize that they signed away their privacy when they booted their PC.</p>
<p>@MosbyMarion Windows comes with Remote Administrative Tools yes, but when they are implemented the user has to approve the remote access. </p>
<p>Also, while Microsoft may allow law enforcement access to remote access to do a search they still have to have probable cause and a search warrant (unless they think they’re working under the Patriot Act, which this case certainly wasn’t). Even if someone thinks you’re going to do something illegal, they still need a warrant.</p>
<p>You quoted something from Microsoft about remote accessing files, can you link the full section so that I can read the context? It’s not from the Vista EULA, as the words “law enforcement” don’t appear in that document (or in XP’s). To be honest, a lot of your posts seem like scaremongering and I would like to see your sources for the lack of need for a warrant and the right of Microsoft to dig through your files on their whim.</p>
<p>And LasMa, I agree with you. I’m not doing anything illegal on my computer, but that doesn’t mean the police aren’t going to need a warrant to search it. It’s the basic principle of the thing.</p>
<p>Wow so this sucks.</p>