I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Microsoft loves public relations crises. After the storm that Windows 10 had to weather over its privacy settings, now comes the update to the CLUF—the so-called Microsoft Services Agreement. The press quickly noticed point 'b' in section 7, where the Redmond giant highlights the possibility of sending and maintaining updates with the goal of blocking "counterfeit games" and "unauthorized hardware".
Microsoft has done some great things throughout its history, but maintaining clear and consistent communication with users isn't one of them. We've seen more than enough cases of misinformed spokespeople, last-minute editing of announcements, and strange interpretations of simple words like "illegal," "legitimate," and "qualified." This chaos was exposed once again before and during the launch of Windows 10. The privacy options, the criteria used for its activation, the process of clean installations, and key compatibility (or rather, the lack thereof) are strong examples. That's why alarms go off in the computing world every time Microsoft decides to change its terms of use. The chance that something controversial will appear is very high… and guess what? It hasn't disappointed us.
The New Microsoft Services Agreement
The so-called Microsoft Services Agreement went into effect on August 1, 2015. Needless to say, the text is enormous and demands patience even from those with advanced legal knowledge. At the end of the agreement, you can see the list of covered services, and no operating system appears there. However, elements like Cortana, Skype, Office 365, OneDrive, the entire Xbox family, and games for Windows published by Microsoft Studios fall under the new contract. The passage that caught the media's attention in recent hours is point 'b' of section 7, titled "Updates to the Services or Software and Changes to These Terms." The point starts by talking about the possibility of checking the version of the software you're using, but the striking part comes later, with Microsoft reserving the right to "automatically download to your device, free of charge, software updates or modifications to configuration settings to keep the Services up to date, improve, and continue developing them, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using peripheral devices with unauthorized hardware."
In the past, Microsoft has blocked a large number of modified Xbox 360 consoles used to run pirated games. Their users, completely unaware of the situation, tried to connect to Xbox Live hoping not to be caught, and all they achieved was turning their consoles into bricks. Now, it's not far-fetched to imagine that the same policy will be extended to the Xbox One, but the big question is what happens with computers. If I interpret this correctly, Microsoft could detect and knock out pirated installations of games like State of Decay, Gears of War, and the upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider on systems running Windows 10. Even more worrying is the term "unauthorized hardware," since no limits are established. Keyboards? Mice? Gamepads? External drives? At this point, we have no idea. I guess there will be an official response soon.
