I'd rather much prefer all software companies further educate users on how to prevent getting infected and update vulnerabilities more often.
The problem is that you can't stop malicious software by simply protecting against it any more than you can stop terrorism by building bigger walls, you have to deal with the source of the problem.
- Look at why people write malicious code and educate those who are willing to be educated.
- For those who are not willing to be educated work out ways to track them down and punish them, this will require both technological solutions and in some cases changes in the law to allow easier prosecution of those who write / distribute harmful code.
- End user security is important, but there will always be people who click on the "FreePornVirus.exe" or its equivalent and click install anyway when their security software tells them that it's a really bad idea, so the answer has to lie in dealing with the source and making the writing of malicious code seem like a bad idea.
Go out, do stuff
I'm just saying the system needs to be left alone. I agree it is a huge issue but, the users that are beind infected need to learn to avoid such ill fated internet habits, and paying to fix your own malware ridden PC is a pretty good way to learn how to be more careful. It is a shame that there are those out there who feel the need to corrupt others PC's and disease the system, but in the end, user responsibility and knowledge are better tools than throwing more money at the problem.
Last edited by DubyBreaks; March 3rd, 2010 at 05:57 PM. Reason: grammar
The tax is only one side of what is being proposed:
The other side is what will be done with the tax revenue. Who exactly will be quarantining and inspecting the machines? The government? Private agencies contracted by the government? And according to what criteria and under what conditions and limitations?Microsoft's security chief laid out several suggestions Tuesday, including a possible Internet usage tax to pay for the inspection and quarantine of machines.
This is the scary part to me.
This is what I would like to see happen and the reason I don't believe in a tax. I'm already paying taxes to fund a federal agency that is supposed to deal with cyber crime as do other people in different countries. Going deeper into that subject would take forever for me to explain, but I agree with you that laws need to be changed and updated to reflect the 21st century.
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