Dell Compromises Customers’ Security with Pre-Installed Rootkit

When are computer manufacturers going to start taking user security into account in their decision making process?

The answer is: Computer manufacturers will take notice when more users express their outrage over such abuses.

As long as users are sheep, they can be herded at will.

I vote with my wallet. I just wish everyone else would do the same.

And don't forget Microsoft's "accidental" insertion of privacy-cancelling features in Windows 10.

I wonder how many of these latest snoop enablers are the work of the three-letter agencies who are so proudly acting for the nation (but against its Constitution)?

> I wonder how many of these latest snoop enablers are the work of the three-letter agencies who are so proudly acting for the nation (but against its Constitution)?

Yep. Web cameras that don't actually shut off, even though they indicate they do, and Intel CPUs that don't fully shut off as long as the power supply is plugged in, and can bring a system back on.

It's a good time to be unapologetically paranoid.

"It's a good time to be unapologetically paranoid."

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

But it is paranoid to think they're conspiring at it.

"But it is paranoid to think they're conspiring at it."

Sure it isn't naive to think they aren't?

I'd say that's giving them too much credit. In light of events the last five years, I doubt they could hide it that long.

>>Yep. Web cameras that don't actually shut off, even though they indicate they do, and Intel CPUs that don't fully shut off as long as the power supply is plugged in, and can bring a system back on.

That's why my desktop has an external USB webcam that I manually disconnect.

The second is a really useful feature if you don't want you computer on all the time but still want to be able to access it. Of course I've never gotten it to work right, so I just leave it on all the time. Of course it's NOT useful when you really do want it to be off.

FWIW, the Raspberry Pi's BCM270{8,9} doesn't fully shut off either. For a "halt," it just goes into an infinite loop on the GPU.