【News】Microsoft Develops 'Special' Windows 10 for Chinese Gov...

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Microsoft Develops 'Special' Windows 10 for The Chinese Government

• Microsoft's recent OS versions have been banned from state-owned systems

• The move came after security concerns were raised by Edward Snowden

• The new software was developed in partnership with a state-owned company

• It is not yet clear what changes have been made to  the government-friendly OS  

In a move that is bound to raise eyebrows, Microsoft has launched a a specially modified version of Windows 10 for use by the Chinese government.

The customised operating system is expected to have beefed up security, to counter reported threats from the American security services.

Its exact features, however, remain unclear.  

But some may be concerned whether the software giant has been put under pressure to include more draconian tools for use by the notoriously strict Chinese regime. 

The new Windows 10 OS is designed to allow the company to start selling their latest operating system to the Chinese market.

The government banned Windows 8 and all subsequent versions from state owned computers in 2014.

This came after Edward Snowden's claims that the Redmond firm worked with the NSA and FBI to help provide them access to Microsoft users' data.  

The new software was developed in partnership with the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group (CETC), which some will see as a sign of direct oversight by the Chinese government. 

China is a big spender in the IT sector, so being able to re-enter that market will clearly be advantageous to Microsoft.

But it is not yet apparent what changes have been made to government-friendly operating system. 

And many will be worried about what concessions have been made to allow the deal to go forward - particularly given the Chinese government's records on human rights and censorship.

Alain Crozier is CEO of Microsoft Greater China. Speaking to China Daily, he said: 'We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. 

'It has been tested by three large enterprise customers.

'We have worked extensively to make it secure and controllable. We are now ready to serve the market.'

Microsoft began working with CETC in 2015, according to reports in China Daily.

A joint venture called C&M Information Technologies began operating in September 2016 

 Xiang Ligang is an IT expert and the CEO of telecom industry website cctime.com

He told China Daily: 'China's commercial PC market (computers used by corporates rather than individual consumers) is expected to revive growth this year.

'Once the tailor-made system is adopted by government agencies, private enterprises are highly likely to follow suit.'

Closer to home, Microsoft has suffered a series of outages in recent weeks, causing havoc for thousands of users.

Most recently, there were widespread problems reported for users trying to access the Outlook email client on Tuesday, along with those trying to access Skype and other Office 365 services. 

This was the second outage for the firm in as many weeks.