Dell's Twitter Account Apologizes For The 'Inconvenience' Of Helping NSA Install Spyware
from the time-to-go-off-script dept
There are times when big brands with "social media people" might want to teach those junior level employees to recognize that using one of the standard "scripted" answers might be inappropriate. Take, for example, if you're Dell and a new report has come out suggesting that the NSA has pretty much compromised your servers at the BIOS level with spy bugs, then, when someone -- especially a respected security guy like Martin Wismeijer -- tweets at you, you don't go with the standard scripted "sorry for the inconvenience" response. But, apparently, that's not how Dell handled things this time (thanks to Mike Mozart for the pointer):![](https://i.imgur.com/DdhqoqU.png)
Thank you for reaching out and regret the inconvenience. Our colleagues at @dellcarespro will be able to help you out.Wismeijer responded with an expected level of anger. Not only is "regret the inconvenience" probably the inappropriate response to a customer complaining about the NSA installing malware, but the idea that Dell support "will be able to help you out" is similarly questionable.
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Filed Under: dell cares, martin wismeijer, nsa, social media, spyware, surveillance
Companies: dell
Reader Comments
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You missed a fine point, and need a translation..
"dellcaresPRO" does care, and can help.
Translation: NSA paid us $50 to put it in; pay our PRO service $250 and they will take it out.
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sidenote
Screenshots are good backup but the embedded tweet would be nice. Am sure it's not that hard to do. IDK though.
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DELL and Twitter should now suffer the consequences and the best way for that to happen is a complete ban on the purchasing and use of the products! the only way any of the companies that have gone down the road of pissing on customers in favour of aiding the NSA and probably other security agencies, is to hit them as hard as possible in the pocket!
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Re: sidenote
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Re: You missed a fine point, and need a translation..
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DellCares Twitter is a very specific Help account
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Plot Twist: That Guy is in Amsterdam Holland
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Who will buy used Dell servers?
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Who will buy used Dell servers?
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Re: Who will buy used Dell servers?
But seriously, this has to be a knife to Dell's jugular (much like the one in the backs of their customers...). Can there be a less forgiveable crime in the netsec industry? You label your product as a antidote when really it is a poison. To me, this means game over for Dell. Smfh...
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Re: Re: You missed a fine point, and need a translation..
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Re:
Installation of the bugs is the crime that needs prosecuted.
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Re: Who will buy used Dell servers?
Hopefully we'll see a lot of corporations die and leave a heavy legacy of dread amongst the business world. Even in the myopic short-term corporate world, all one will have to do to make them think twice about selling out their customers is whisper a name like "Dell", "Microsoft", or any other of the fallen titans condemned to Tartarus.
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Re: Re:
The government tends not to prosecute itself very often.
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Open BIOS?
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Re: Open BIOS?
Richard Stallman, love him or hate him, is right about a lot of things concerning freedom and privacy, especially related to computing.
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This is a non story where a bot advised the twitter universe to contact support to discuss the matter no more.
Must be a very slow news week to have to post this as a story.
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Re: sidenote
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Re: Re:
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Re: Re: Open BIOS?
Then ten years go by.
And then Stallman seems far too conservative.
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Re: Re:
Technically not so. It may be a crime to bypass the encryption (depending), but it's not a crime to reverse engineer. Sorry, the pedant in me just had to point this out.
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Fixed that for you.
...acknowledging that they have received and ignored your correspondence
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Re: Fixed that for you.
That is maddening, especially when you email a software company about a bug that is hindering your use of their software and all you ever get back is that autoreply garbage... I have purchased paid versions of apps simply because of the great customer support. Ti Backup is an excellent example of this. Prompt response = I pay them money.
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Re: Re: Re:
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What Fuckin' Moron Buys Dell?
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What do you expect?
"Oh, sorry about that Sir, we've forwarded this concern on to the Police, FBI, CIA and N......" F**king morons.
Or, how about another response in 160 characters or less... "Dell takes customer privacy and security very seriously, we can confirm that these claims are not true" or some other corporate spin. F**k!!!
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Re: sidenote
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LUA
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Re: Re: Re: You missed a fine point, and need a translation..
If the improved spyware does not perform to your satisfaction, please return it to your local NSA for repair.
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geaga
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Is that understanding incorrect, or has it been superseded?
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Not Sure
I think it just... came out wrong in the shortening. It is kindof a tossup which wtf these bottom tier droids blow up with. But they didn't actually say explicitly who is being inconvenienced, only that the information provided by the person was a source of some inconvenience of a regrettable nature.
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Dell's response
http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2013/12/30/comment-on-der- spiegel-article-regarding-nsa-tao-organization.aspx
"Dell is aware of a story originally reported by Der Spiegel, which has subsequently been picked up in other media outlets, that refers to alleged security �backdoors� implanted by the United States National Security Agency into products from several technology companies, including Dell.
Dell has a long-standing commitment to design, build and ship secure products and quickly address instances when issues are discovered. Our highest priority is the protection of customer data and information, which is reflected in our robust and comprehensive privacy and information security program and policies. We take very seriously any issues that may impact the integrity of our products or customer security and privacy. Should we become aware of a possible vulnerability in any of Dell�s products we will communicate with our customers in a transparent manner as we have done in the past.
Dell does not work with any government � United States or otherwise � to compromise our products to make them potentially vulnerable for exploit. This includes �software implants� or so-called �backdoors� for any purpose whatsoever."
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great!!
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This is a crime
I'm thinking a massive class action civil case that we can bankrupt Dell with. They are a terrible company to do business with. The way they treated my mother just before she died was atrocious.
Took all her money for a computer that, even being a 20 year advanced tech, I was unable to find anyone on Dell's "phone support" that either knew what to do, cared about fixing the problem, or was not otherwise obvious in their disinterest in my mother having a pc to use. I was lied to over and over, abused by contentious support people, and left to figure it out without any tech support from them. Just political bullshit and pretending to care by transferring over and over to equally stupid people. Never again Dell. Never never never.
Multiple agents telling same lies in same order proves they train them to lie.
The crime is one that is not only punishable by quite a few years in prison for a maximum sentence and per occurrence, it is one that our new Attorney General will be happy to help you with. Good riddance DELL for helping NSA spying on US citizens. You didn't report the crime but cooperated with it and the directors of Dell need to see a prison cell for many years.
Thanks Edward Snowden for outing these bastards and for their boldness in admitting their crimes as though they are above the law. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as we have a new sheriff in town in a few days.
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