Microsoft not a nosey parker

THE FACT THAT Microsoft logs songs and pictures using the latest version of its Media player and leaves a list of what's been loaded on your hard drive does not mean it's breaching your privacy, no sirreee.

Associated Press found out Wednesday that when Media Player 8 with WinXP is run, a record is taken of DVDs, CDs and music files which is stored on your hard drive.

And when such an event happens, an identifier number of the user is transmitted to Microsoft Central.

But this does not mean your privacy is being breached. In fact, according to a reprise on the affair by AP, David Caulton, who runs Windows Media at Vole Central, you must just make sure your wife doesn't have your password if you don't want her to know what you're doing in the back room.

And presumably, the same goes for her activities on the computer, this being a free world.

According to AP, Microsoft "has no plans" to sell data collected in this way to any third party.

So that's OK then.

Just to re-assure you that everything is OK, rather than change the method, Microsoft is rewriting its privacy statement just so you know that the information it's collecting on the sly the innocuous and harmless information won't affect any of your rights.

If you delete the file on your hard drive, Media Player won't work any more.

Time to investigate an alternative to the latest Volish invasion of your privacy addition to your listening and viewing pleasure? µ

Associated Press report.