Re: Please explan simply

From: Mike Brannigan [MS] (mikebran@online.microsoft.com)
Date: 05/31/02 

From: "Mike Brannigan [MS]" <mikebran@online.microsoft.com>
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 19:39:17 +0100

Windows XP does not "steal" any information from you.
What you are being told is a misrepresentation of some issue that we made
public about what information CAN be transmitted to Microsoft when you use
certain pieces of our technology in Windows XP.
A lot of this centred around media player.
see
http://www.microsoft.com/privacy/onestop/default.htm
and check the links on the left.

Installing firewall software is always a good idea if you are directly
connecting a PC to the Internet.
I sit here now behind my ISA 2000 firewall running BlackICE on it too and
watching all of the attempts to hack my connection (everything from port
probes for known services HTTP, NetBIOS, SQL FTP etc etc to scans for trojan
software, sub seven et.al.) The Internet should not be considered safe or
secure place to be by the home user if they connect directly to it without
some form of protection.

There is nothing in our OS as dangerous as those out there waiting for you
to come live on the net. So yes I would advise you to turn on the built in
Firewall in Windows and use whatever else you have to protect yourself. 

--
Regards,
Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [MS]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions.
Please use these newsgroups
"Doug" <d@hotmail> wrote in message
news:a03701c208ce$99c3b3e0$9be62ecf@tkmsftngxa03...
> I have a new computer with XP home on it and have been
> using it to play games on. I now use my old machine to
> acess the internet and work on raster maps becouse i have
> been told that XP steals personal information.  Is this
> true?  Can i protect my self?  Would nortons fire wall
> software work?
> Thank you
> Doug