Windows 10 Cracks Down on Pirated Games and Unauthorized Hardware

Each day we grow more familiar with Windows 10 which, as of its official launch on July 29, 2015, has been installed on over 70 million devices worldwide. Prominent technology publication, Hacker News, is reporting that Microsoft could potentially be scanning your PC for piracy activity and unauthorized hardware manipulation.

At an initial glance, the adjustments implemented by Microsoft in its revolutionary Windows upgrade may have seemed quite palatable. However, on closer inspection, users began to voice concerns over a lack of transparency from Microsoft regarding the reality of the new features.

The latest casing point is the growing apprehension concerning the claim that Windows 10 will exercise its capacity to disable pirated games and unauthorized hardware.

A recent article published by technology insights platform, Alphr, drew attention to Microsoft’s updated services agreement. This agreement, which every user must consent to when installing and using the operating system, signifies an important shift in Microsoft’s approach towards piracy activity and unauthorized hardware usage.

The revisions to the agreement stipulate that if you were to run a pirated game or software on Windows 10, then Microsoft reserves the right to remotely uninstall said software without seeking your permission. It further dictates that hardware subjects to alterations or hacking could also be blocked.

Section 7b of the Windows 10 services agreement now remarkably asserts:

“We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices.”

The scope of this agreement encompasses not only Windows 10 itself but also stretches to Windows Phone, in addition to a host of Microsoft’s owned services and applications such as Skype, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live, all of which run smoothly on the platform that is Windows 10.

Source: Hacker News

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