China is all set to begin replacing Windows operating systems on government computers with domestic operating systems, new report claims.
According to Jinghua.cn, a Beijing-based newspaper controlled by the government publication, People’s Daily, citing an internal report from Ni Guangnan, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, China will uninstall the Windows operating system from 15 percent of government computers every year, hoping to replace a “significant” number of Microsoft’s products with domestic versions by 2020.
As per the report, the Chinese government has instructed state-owned government organs to stop using Microsoft’s chips, servers and software as well.
The move follows the Chinese government’s May decision to ban government use of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 8, out of security concerns. The ban was implemented as the alleged operating system is believed to have a function that scans users’ computers regularly, which makes spying and monitoring of information easier.
China is also running an anti-monopoly investigation into Microsoft. In July, Microsoft’s offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu were raided by Chinese investigators. As per the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Microsoft is accused of violating Chinese anti-monopoly rules as related to compatibility, bundling and document authentication for its Windows operating system and Microsoft Office software.
