Yuyutsu - For a released operating system like windows 7 - XP etc it would be commercial suicide for them to say we reserve the right to spy on you in the EULA or even hint at it.

I have not fully read the EULA so cannot answer categorically, but that is not something they would put in the EULA if they did it would not take long for someone to notice and it be reported. But Microsoft and others work with the NSA and others so they could easily put something in for them.

For a released operating system like windows 7 - XP etc it would be commercial suicide for them to say we reserve the right to spy on you in the EULA or even hint at it.

As various leaks by Snowden and others have shown most American companies bend over backwards to accommodate the NSA.

Thank you Philip!

Of course the NSA is a different story. I suppose they wouldn't need to use Windows to spy on Linux - they probably can do it directly.

Actually Yuyutsu, they probably use Linux or its antecedent Unix.
Reading the specs on the Spy software I suspect that it has to be loaded by putting a
usb stick into a m/c on the network, or trick someone into opening a trojan.
Either that or a backdoor is provided by Microsoft for agency entry.
With Linux, the source code is public and many people go pouring over it.
If a backdoor was provided it would be noticed fairly soon.

I don't have any special knowledge here, so I cannot make definitive statements.

Dear Bazz,

I doubt that people actually read the Linux source-code nowadays as it gets longer and longer and more boring and obfuscated than ever.

Also, it's hard to verify that the binaries you run, which were provided by some giant distribution, are actually derived from the sources uncontaminated. Yes, you could check and compile everything yourself, then assemble all the different pieces into a functional operating-system - but who does?

It looks like they are spying on everything.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2789638/how-plod-spy-phone-just-three-clicks-officers-access-mobile-phone-internet-firms-mainframes.html

How 'Plod' can spy on YOUR phone...in just three clicks: Officers can access mobile phone and internet firms' mainframes

Every police force HQ has access to Vodafone, Three and EE mainframes
There they can retrieve confidential data from any number within minutes
Useful for for foiling terrorists but police are using the method far too often
The three easy steps to accessing people's numbers are illustrated below (follow link to see)

At the headquarters of every police force in Britain is a small office called the ‘Telecoms Intelligence Unit’ (TIU).

There, police officers can log in directly to the mainframe computers of three of four big mobile phone companies – Vodafone, Three and EE – as well as BT and internet service providers.

EE comprises the former networks Orange and T-Mobile, whose police interface was called Plod – an acronym for Police Liaison On-screen Database.

Armed with the required usernames and passwords, in a few keystrokes the officers can retrieve confidential data from anyone’s telephone or computer use within minutes.

Such swift access can save lives by finding an armed criminal on the run, or help track a terrorist before he strikes – but critics believe the ease with which police can access such information has led them to do so far more often than they should.

All it takes is a couple of senior officers within the force to sign off the request and any officer can have those details on his screen.

IF the poms are doing it you can bet Australia is doing it.