Microsoft shamed over misleading ads

NEWS Microsoft has been ordered to scrap an advert which claims its software is so secure, it will make hackers extinct. South Africa's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered the software giant to withdraw what they termed an "unsubstantiated and misleading" print commercial last week following complaints. This controversial advertisement, which was published in the November issue of Time magazine, featured three extinct animals - a dodo, a woolly mammoth and a sabre-toothed tiger - as well as a caricature of a hacker. The caption said Microsoft's software offers better data protection than a bank safe. This is "tragic news for hackers", the advertisement claimed. Microsoft argued its advertisement was merely tongue-in-cheek. But the ASA was having none of it and ordered Microsoft to pull the ads on the grounds that the claims have not been evaluated by an independent entity. According to the report, the advertisement was also scheduled to run in a number of South African business publications. Despite several initiatives to secure the Windows operating system and other applications, bugs continue to plague Microsoft's products, making patches an almost weekly occurrence.