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posted by martyb on Wednesday August 26 2015, @06:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the sunshine-is-the-best-disinfectant dept.

So far this is only in Switzerland, but there is every reason to suppose it will come up in Germany and other countries. In Switzerland, on the request of the Pirate Party, the governmental data protection office is having a look at Windows 10 (article in German, Here is a Google translation).

If the office determines that Windows 10 violates Swiss privacy laws, they can recommend changes to Windows 10. If Microsoft were to refuse to make those changes, the office would have the option of banning Windows 10 within the country. As the article points out, a similar process forced Google to make substantial changes to StreetView, so it can be effective.

Personal opinion: Switzerland is too small by itself. However, if the Pirate Party in Germany, France and elsewhere could initiate similar actions, Europe as a whole could force real change. And, hey, it will show that the Pirate Party hasn't totally lost its way.


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  • (Score: 2) by NCommander on Wednesday August 26 2015, @11:35PM

    by NCommander (2) Subscriber Badge <michael@casadevall.pro> on Wednesday August 26 2015, @11:35PM (#228348) Homepage Journal

    The problem is more specifically that the cost in Microsoft's mind of changing Windows is higher than the cost of being banned out of the country.

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