Microsoft attempts to ease China's Windows 8 concerns

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-06-07

Windows 8 was slapped with an official ban on May 16. (internet photo)

Microsoft has issued a statement intended to ease concerns over the security of its Windows 8 platform after China banned the operating system from all government computers.

The US software giant said it has never assisted any government to attack any other government or client. It has never provided the US government with information or data concerning another client due to reasons of national security; furthermore, it has always been transparent about governments' requirements of clients' information, reports Chinese-language financial news website Caijing.

China's Central Government Procurement Center on May 16 announced that desktops, laptops and tablet computers acquired for government offices are banned from using Windows 8 as their operating system.

An official from the center said Windows 8 is not suitable for government computers as it is not only unwieldy but also expensive.

It is believed, however, that the ban on Windows 8 stems from Beijing's concerns of security and that the OneDrive function of Windows 8 may lead to the leak of confidential documents. In addition, Microsoft's high level of control over Windows 8 has the Chinese government worried in the event of unforeseeable and uncontrollable problems.

It has also been common in China for successful overseas tech companies to come under fire in order for the government to encourage domestic competitors, which may be another factor in the ban.

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