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On Mon, Aug 24, 2015 at 07:48:40PM +0100, Simon Avery wrote: > Looking at this as a trend over many years, it's created a lot more than just > two insecurities through a desire to sell the consumer to third parties in this > way. Not just introducing new software to users by being paid as you describe, > but by data mining, information-leaking, spyware of many types. > > Lenovo have merely used a new vector for an old business practice here, but > they have done so at significant cost. I don't disagree: most of this third-party software added to laptops "to enhance the user experience" does mine user data. After all, data mining is the business model of the Internet. What was put on Lenovo laptops was worse than that though. I haven't looked much in the recent issue, but the one that came to light back in February not only man-in-the-middled HTTPS traffic, but did so in a way that others could fairly easily do the same. Still, adding third party software isn't inherently bad. > Another once lucrative line for Lenovo is of course the corporate sector. I > can't imagine many of the major buyers of thousands of items at a time looking > at these revelations with any please. I suspect HP and Dell will show a small > upturn in this market shortly. It wouldn't be bad if this hurt them, but laptops sold to businesses typically don't come with this kind of crapware installed. Lenovo's certainly don't. Martijn. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq