[governance] Verisign to control what operating systems you can run on your computer

[Daniel Kalchev]

I believe this is a bit misleading...

It is not Verisign, but Microsoft, who are trying to lock computer 
hardware to their OS. Microsoft is trying to persuade the vendors, that 
they must modify the PCs boot loader to allow only an OS that has boot 
loader signed by Microsoft to load, and that boot loader will presumably 
load Windows 8 only.

This has been the reason of much debate recently and so far it seems the 
current requirement of Microsoft is for vendors to lock-in only 
non-desktop computers, such as tablets. If the vendor wants Windows 8 on 
their tablet, it must not be able to load another OS. For the desktop, 
because of existing Windows versions that apparently do not support this 
"secure boot" technology, this restriction is optional. You will be able 
to switch it on or off in the BIOS.

Yes, this would mean computers with Windows will not be sold in 
embargoed countries, but I wonder how Windows gets there today...

None of this will impact Linux or other OS running on "PCs". And it is 
not really anything to involve Verisign with.

If someone has to be blamed for this development, that is Microsoft. 
They will of course claim it is for your own protection :)

Daniel

On 07.06.12 09:32, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
> There's been much disquiet on this list about the power that Verisign 
> has to delete domains from the Internet at the whim of US authorities.
>
> Potentially even more frightening, they will soon be able to decide 
> what operating system you may run on your computer.  PCs that are 
> certified for use with Windows 8 will, by default, refuse to run any 
> operating system that is not digitally signed by a Verisign-issued 
> certificate.  Even worse, the only certificates that hardware and 
> device manufacturers will recognise by default are Microsoft's.
>
> This leads to the absurd situation that even commercial vendors of 
> Linux, such as Red Hat, will be paying Verisign to attach a digital 
> signature from Microsoft's key-signing root to their versions of Linux 
> - otherwise they simply won't run at all.
>
> If that wasn't outrageous enough, consider the geopolitical 
> implications of this.  By virtue of US sanctions, Verisign will not 
> permit anyone from Cuba, Iran, Syria etc. to develop an operating 
> system (or even to distribute a version of Linux that they compile 
> from source) for users of Windows 8 certified computers.
>
> Why should it stop there?  A US court order might be obtained against 
> Verisign to prevent it from certifying China's Red Flag Linux, or 
> Russia's ALT Linux.  Billions of consumers could be forced into using 
> older or second-rate computers, or buying Microsoft's operating 
> system, because home-grown operating systems won't run.
>
> Will the IGC take a stand against this?
>
> -- 
>
> *Dr Jeremy Malcolm
> Senior Policy Officer*
> Consumers International
> Kuala Lumpur Office for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
> Lot 5-1 Wisma WIM, 7 Jalan Abang Haji Openg, TTDI, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, 
> Malaysia
> Tel: +60 3 7726 1599
>
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