Building Permit Required

The rumor mill has it that some time in the future Microsoft will require a *building permit* for their Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) tool or your garden will turn to dust. In "Ed Bott's Microsoft Reports" at Is Microsoft about to release a Windows "kill switch"? the following quote was included from Dave Farber’s Interesting People list:

". . . in the fall, having the latest WGA will become mandatory and if its not installed, Windows will give a 30 day warning and when the 30 days is up and WGA isn't installed, Windows will stop working . . ."

Ed Bott contacted Microsoft and reported the following response from a Microsoft spokesperson:

"As we have mentioned previously, as the WGA Notifications program expands in the future, customers may be required to participate. [emphasis added] Microsoft is gathering feedback in select markets to learn how it can best meet its customers' needs and will keep customers informed of any changes to the program."

I agree that software piracy is a serious problem and has been for a long time. However, someone needs to explain to me how my licensed copy of Microsoft software, which has already been confirmed as valid more than once, requires periodic re-confirmation of that validity. I do not want a telephone booth in my garden.