In an earlier publication, we reported that China decided not to use the Windows 8in its public services because it could jeopardize national security, as it allows US services and the Redmond company to remotely access data stored on systems running it.
In an interview that aired on China's CCTV television channel, local IT experts explained that Windows 8 could indeed be a significant threat to the country, because it hides backdoors that can later be used by American intelligence agencies and Microsoft to steal state secrets and other stored files.
At the same time, Microsoft was accused of not allowing the Chinese government to have access to the source code of Windows 8, and therefore they cannot determine whether it actually hides malicious software or not.
“Microsoft no longer opens the source code of Windows 8 to the Chinese government, however, the Windows 8 security system is designed to provide Microsoft access to the users' database. For China it is a major challenge for our cybersecurity,” said Yang Min, professor at Fudan University in China, to The Register.
Chinese IT experts claim that Windows 8 can apparently be used to provide access to all types of files, such as contacts, phone numbers, and user identities.
“Your identity, your account, your contacts, your phone numbers, and all this data can be used together for a data analysis”, added Ni Guangnam, another expert. “The US has legislation that allows those who have the data to report to the government. The data can be a very good way for the US to monitor other countries”
Microsoft has already issued a statement on this issue, explaining that Windows 8 can be deeply analyzed by the Chinese government and that there are no hidden backdoors in the software.
Now, who should you trust?
