Windows Tracks CDs & DVDs You Watch

lcypher writes "The AP is reporting that there is spyware within Windows Media Player 8(which ships with XP), which records the song titles and DVD titles that a user listens to or views in WMP8. Microsoft execs claim no marketing use right now, but they won't rule it out. " This looks like less of a big deal than the article makes it out to be, but it definitely could be used for evil.

Pr0n

[68030]

Turns out they are just tracking all the pron
file names so they can track them down on
kazaa easier.

Those lazy bastards. (:

eak...

[mlk]

time to add
whatever.the.hell.mediaplayer.uses 127.0.0.1
in the hosts file, and maybe a quick webpage to return
Mlk and a vacume cleaner
the spam-email from that could be veryyy intresting :)

I plan to submit a /. story soon:

[Stepto]

Microsoft uses secret IE tools known as "HISTORY", "CACHE" and user's "IP ADDRESS" TO TRACK EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON THE INTERNET.

I bet it gets 500+ comments.

S.

Billy Boy

[Loki_1929]

I'm thinking Bill Gates is just trying to get a nice fat list of popular DVDs so he can run and download them from DALnet.

<BillGates> Gee fellas, could you please help me download good pornographic films?
<@Antel> lol, get out of here you l0ser
<BillGates> But wait, I'm really desperate here. I gotta OC-48 and a 12TB IBM RAID storage tower.
*** Antel sets mode +b [e-mail]
*** BillGates was kicked from #pr0n by Antel (get lost you geek!)

Re:Playing right now:

[npietraniec]

Someone should make a "patch" that transmits "fuck you microsoft" 100 times for every video you play ;)

Assimilation

[KDENCE]

Sometimes we must quit and say "ok assimilate me." It seems as if we as a whole are in a constant fear of "BIG BROTHER," as if most of us have anything that this world or government would care to find out. Want to read my email? Go for it (mostly spam anyway), want to put a camera on my street to watch me pull in everyday of my boring life? Go for it! I already know that this comment is not going to be well appreciated, specially in this forum, however I want you to see that what I am just trying to say is that we cannot live a life of fear. If you are really afraid of "BIG BROTHER" though I suggest you stop watching tv, 'cause, yes, they know what you are watching. Do my a favor, think of something right now that the government would love to know about you. Anything? If you do have something, you are one kool dude (except if it is something like hacker or anarchist files you downloaded for IRC or something), if you don't, welcome to the club. If microsoft wants to know what movies I am watching on mediaplayer they can have it, however I truly do feel sorry for them, cause I would think that the superpower of the computer world would have something better to do with their time. All that to say, Assimilate me, please!

Re:This is basically CDDB

[Zico]

If it was just a lookup, there wouldn't be this much fuss about it.

Erm, what fuss? Oh, you mean Slashdot crying about some way that Microsoft has supposedly persecuted them? Maybe you're new here, but that pretty much happens on an hourly basis, kid.

Re:Pr0n

[kiwipeso]

> "If you're watching DVDs you don't want your wife to know about, you might not want to give her your password," said David Caulton, Microsoft's lead program manager for Windows Media.

Hmm, maybe not giving her the password is just as good as telling her about Debbie from Dallas not being a soap star.

Re:super cookie in m$ media player

[gazbo]

Yep, I can't believe the things they do behind my back. They made this option mandatory because it is only possible to turn it off using an assembly-level hack known as a 'check box' that is hidden at offset 0x4F02B sometimes nicknamed 'Front tab of the options menu'

Please, if you're going to try and terrify people with closed-source deception, choose something sensible.

PS. I've just discovered an exploit in EVERY IP implementation (I call it the IP tracking exploit) I have discovered that because of the evil closed source corporation that wrote and patented this protocol, it is possible for the computer you are talking to to uniquely identify your computer! Death of the Internet!

Re:Microsoft's use isn't the issue...

[gazbo]

Just for innocently checking out that warez movie link...or borrowing a DVD that happened to be ripped

It's a sad day when we can't break the law without fear of reprise.

And they're using this for...

[bero-rh]

From: Microsoft Legal Department
To: Valued Customer
Subject: Windows Media Player Usage Report

Hello,
we have noticed you have played back pirated episodes
of Star Trek Enterprise downloaded from the net.

This is a violation of federal law.

We charge you $10,000 for this information; if we do not receive this amount of money, your registration information (as well as the information you used to register on any websites, as tracked by Internet Explorer) will be forwarded to the MPAA.

Re:marketing data?

[stinkydog]

What kind of marketing data are they going to get from "user 3453845 watches the hell out of 'tina3.wmv'"?

You laugh now but soon, all your popups will be for Jergens, Vasoline and inflatable girlfriends.

SD

Re:unique id

[mark_lybarger]

what unique user id? is this derived from the os install key? if so, i'd say it's not that unique :).