If you happen to be running the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) tool on your PC, then you have probably already made the assumption that the tool phones home periodically, but are you aware that it makes calls to Microsoft every day?
Yes, it's true, the WGA tool pings Microsoft's servers every day. Until now, Microsoft failed to reveal that nasty little tidbit, and now it claims that it needs to do a better job in letting users know when its software feels the need to check in with HQ. The question is why does the WGA need to run daily? Microsoft's answer is suspect at best.
According to David Lazar, Microsoft is concerned that the beta application could blow up and create an emergency situation where it would need to be stopped dead in its tracks.
Lazar said the company decided to add the safety measure because the piracy check, despite widespread distribution, is still a pilot program. He said the company was worried that it might have an unforeseen emergency that would require the program to terminate quickly.
Ahem, what? That's a horrific thought for those of us that have allowed the tool to have free reign on our machines. I would prefer to not have the WGA tool owning my system, and I wouldn't have even installed it had it not been for the weeklong nagfest wrapped in the little yellow shield that it put on for me, but I digress. The way I understand Lazar's explanation, Microsoft fears that the WGA could wrongly accuse a machine of being pirated, and well, shut it down or do some other evil to it. Of course, the tool is only supposed to nag the user about their copy of Windows being pirated, but who knows what's built into the WGA. Wait, I know one thing: apparently the ability to make a 911 call to Microsoft when all hell breaks loose.
