Windows 7 spying on U.S. citizens?

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) worked with Microsoft during the production of Windows 7 Opinions on this are divided. “This is a suspicious case. NSA likes to eavesdrop and track citizens’ – director warns Electronics Privacy Information Center. “This conspiracy theory is nonsense” – reassured the managers of one of AVG Technologies.

The latest report, the Director of the Information Department of the American National Security Agency (NSA) at a meeting of the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism and National Security indicates that the agency was directly involved in the production Windows 7:

“NSA experts collaborated with Microsoft and some units of the Department of Defense by providing them with their knowledge and operational skills in the field of security of operating systems. The team worked on fine tuning the security solutions in the private and public sectors” – Richard Schaeffer said during a meeting with politicians.

“All activities covered the whole production cycle of the system. Thus it was easier to understand each other their assumptions and to introduce them into the final version of Windows 7″ – added Schaeffer.

It is known that this is not the first time the NSA has worked with Microsoft during the works on Windows. In 2007, the agency confirmed that its experts were involved in testing Windows Vista – their task was then to check whether the system will be compatible with the software and whether the government is safe. Previously, the NSA advised how best to secure Windows XP and Windows 2000.

Conspiracy theory

Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronics Privacy Information Center (EPIC) says that the NSA’s involvement in the design of operating systems for the private sector is a deeper issue, which has its roots already in the early ’90s. Rotenberg is opposed to such cooperation:

“When the NSA offers its assistance in planning for the private sector, there is a suspicion that the experts will prepare a gap in the product (backdoor), which then will serve the agency to track and eavesdrop on users’ – Rotenberg said.

“Companies in the private sector, of course, avoiding comment on the matter. It is not surprising, because the U.S. government is one of their largest customers. Oppose the NSA would have led to a significant decrease in software sales – Rotenberg warned.

Rotenberg fears are related to the fact that the NSA has been repeatedly accused of tapping phone calls and intercepting electronic messages of citizens.

Experts: “This is bullshit!”

Andrew Storms, director of the nCircle Security, does not believe in this conspiracy theory. “Impossible that Microsoft has agreed to such an absurd solution. Disclosure of the affair would be unacceptable from a business point of view and led to colossal losses.” – Storms said.

Roger Thompson, one of the managers AVG Technologies, is a similar view. “I just can not imagine that the NSA and Microsoft have committed to something so irresponsible. The consequences of disclosure of the affair would have been unimaginable. – Said Thompson.” Indeed, it would further claim that the NSA and Microsoft work together to protect computer systems against attacks from other countries . As for the official conspiracy Microsoft partnership – the NSA, is once again emphasize – is nonsense. ”

Source

… Read the rest at windows7spot.com.