the software compromises you! Yes, someone else can come up with something more clever but man this is such an opportunity for a new meme.

They get the not really gone part down. But, I mean its still the heart and soul of the majority of *Nix desktop environments for good or bad. And most of the folks using Linux or Solaris or BSD know that it is the case. By the way I still love NeXtstep - what an interface. Great for a lefty like me.

Like frickin' having a backup? Isn't that one of the first things you ever learn if your business relies on computers + userdata?

If you inform the office and cc'ed the boss when you know something illegal is going down, your covered. If you don't, and there is a stink they fire you and put you up as the scapegoat. The guys in the China office were following local tradition but that states-side IT manager knew and did nothing. So he is fired. But if you are the good employee in all the news reports that told the higher-ups in that-stereotypical-memo-dated-whenever that the office in China was going to fuck up the works for everyone. And they did not listen. No one is going to give you a medal but you reported what you knew via the proper channels and they don't fire you.

I mean I could easily go woo-hoo fighting the man here. I got it in me no doubts. But there is something in legal cases called the Discovery phase and its illegal during a discovery phase to conceal information requested by the court for a case. If he thought Microsoft had information that would have helped his case his lawyers should have asked for such info in the discovery phase and been done with it. The spy cloak and dagger stuff is for the movies and just fucks you over in the real world. If its true he pitched the idea before he was even hired, then don't try to keep working at the same company you are trying to sue. The counter-suit will be coming that is for sure. Easier than firing him. Sue him instead.

Isn't there some sort of criminal justice recourse for the victims at some point here? It seems like there should be at least one hotshot DA willing to take up the case. Or am I missing something about their deceptive practices that somehow does not translate to criminal action?

"CNet reports that information from applications will be retained for 12 years, and eventually up to 75 years. " Like as in, This will go on your permanent record!

I would bet money a lot of government and I know for a fact a lot of private organizations do NOT audit their general security logs in a timely and in an effective fashion. Of course, its scarier when its the government considering the host of private info they have on us. But keep in mind how many credit card companies have been compromised and how much info they have on us. The problem is of course much bigger than one organization.