Surprise, surprise, I was scrolling through my Google curated headlines last night and I came across and article talking about how Microsoft is now investigating using the Ethereum blockchain to help combat piracy.
I am honestly not sure what is more surprising... The fact that Google picked a news story I was actually interested in, or that Microsoft would eventually realize the potential of blockchain.
I think that as more and more large companies look past the unwarranted bias about cryptocurrency, they will begin to realize just how much potential blockchain has to make their businesses better.
It is a shift that has been five to ten years in the making as far as I am concerned.
You can reach the full article here if you are so inclined.
Basically, the whole world knows that Windows and Office are probably two of the most pirated pieces of software in the world. I know it, you know it, in fact at some point in your life, you have probably used a pirated copy of one of those programs whether you realized it or not.
It has gotten so bad that Microsoft has even started offering bounties in the last several years. That's right, if you rat out your friend, family, or co-worker, they will give you a payout. As a large proponent of Open Source software let me just remind you that "snitches get stitches".
I am not going to lie and say I understand all of the technical details of their plan. It seems however that they are interested in creating a public record of the transactions while also masking the identity of the "informer".
Blockchain certainly fits the bill for that. I can see many other software companies moving to a system like this where transparency and chain of custody are very pervasive.
Does everyone in the world need to know what I am installing on my computer though?
As I read more about it, their "Argus" system sounds more like it is using blockchain to give informers a way to report abuse versus and actual way to track the licensing and validity of software.
Did you read about this? What do you think? I look forward to discussing it in the comments!
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