"Honor where honor is due. In September Microsoft Austria spammed Linux users and violated the copyright of the Linux counter (http://counter.li.org).
Yesterday Micosoft Austria was awarded the Big Brother Award (http://www.bigbrother.awards.at/) in the category "community" for spying Austrian Linux users.
On Microsofts behalf "g3 gmbh" violated the Norvegian copyright-law by filtering e-mails of Austrians who registerd themselves as Linux users, the jury and organizers justify the award. The copyright regulations of the Linux counter say that it is illegal to use these addresses for
commercial purposes and that "permission to use for mass mailing will not be given." Linux users received questionnaires. The spammer asked for information about the "prospects and potentials in the software industry", attitudes about Linux and the use of Linux, "how Linux
know-how is passed on", the job title and the size of the employer. After protests and several news-articles, Microsoft Austria had to recant and announced the destruction of the data.
The ceremony took place at the Viennese club Flex. None of the winners dared to receive the awards - little roboters in a flowerpot. (Source: http://www.blackserver.at/linux/)."
[ The bigbrother.awards.at and blackserver.at sites linked above are published in German. lt-ed. ]
