Computer hackers have narrowly avoided joining the dodo bird and
woolly mammoth on the list of extinct species, writes Stephen
Whitford in the South African technology Webzine ITWeb.
Freelance journalist Richard Clarke helped convince South Africa?s
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to pull a Microsoft ad that
claims the end is near for computer piracy. The ASA labeled the
company?s claim that its new software is immune to both viruses and
hackers as both unsubstantiated and misleading. ?Microsoft?s
software is littered with vulnerabilities,? says Clarke. He says
that the software is full of holes and for Microsoft to say that it
is foolproof against hackers gives a false sense of security to the
consumer. After the magazine ad was 86?d from print, Microsoft
recanted on their claim, stating that the advertisement was just a
tongue-in-cheek dramatization about the extinction of hackers.
However, MS officials remain adamant that their software is fully
capable of keeping both hackers and viruses at bay.
–Nick Garafola
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Microsoft ad pulled by ASA
