Windows 10 Nagware Hits Central African Republic, Potentially Putting Lives At Risk

It's been quite the month for Windows 10, for both good and not so good reasons. On the plus side, the OS continues to grow in popularity; conversely, part of the reason might be due to the fact that the company has been outright nagging most of its customers to upgrade. But being asked to upgrade is one thing; it's another to have a software company try and trick you into it.

This ongoing debacle is undoubtedly going to make it in the history books, as it affects customers so far and wide. We reported just last week that Chinese users have been affected to the extent where millions of messages regarding it are showing up on social network service Weibo. Ultimately, Microsoft backpedaled on its deceitful ways, but not before it caused a lot of hassle for people around the world.

That apparently even includes those out on important missions in parts of the world where fast internet is unheard of and having internet at all is considered an extreme blessing. We're talking about the kind of Internet where you're charged per megabyte. Now, imagine being charged per megabyte and having your Windows OS download a 6GB image?

As you might have suspected by now, this actually did happen to a group of anti-poachers, a group known as the Chinko Project, that patrol the Central African bush. The incident came to light when someone who's part of the anti-poaching group (rightfully) ranted on reddit about it. Since then, the story has picked up a lot of steam, with a follow-up AMA (Ask Me Anything) having been posted. It's in that post where the above photo was sourced, one that highlights the situation well. Does that look like an area with fast, reliable internet?

The biggest issue with Microsoft's blatant mistake here isn't just that the data use significantly bloats these anti-poachers' phone bill, it could have also put them all at risk. Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to reboot fast, and Windows decided at that very moment to spend 15 minutes updating the OS? Now imagine yourself in the shoes of people who might end up in the middle of an important coordinated effort with weapons in the mix when something like an accidental update or download happens - it could literally put lives in danger.

Let's just say the folks at the Chinko Project and the African Parks Department are none too happy with Microsoft right now.