Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which was launched by Microsoft on February 29, comes loaded with several new features. Besides the all new interface, there’s a Kill Switch which is something new for PCs. What does it kill, you may ask? The Kill Switch can remotely deactivate or delete malicious apps on a Windows 8 PC without the users’ permission.

Microsoft has claimed that the switch would only be used for apps that are downloaded from the Windows Store. The app store was unveiled by Microsoft along with Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Windows Store is on the lines of iTunes Store and Android Market, from where users can download apps.

Although it has been stated that the Kill Switch is intended to remove malicious apps from a Windows 8 PC, it could be used for other purposes as well. And some of these could be dangerous for computer users. For instance, if hackers manage to access the Kill Switch on a system, they could damage the OS or delete programs. Or they could remotely control the computer.

There’s another perspective regarding Microsoft’s objective of including the Kill Switch in Windows 8. The company might be looking to stop software piracy by using the Kill Switch to disable counterfeit copies of Windows 8. Well, if that’s what Microsoft wants to do, we are with them in the fight against fake software.

In the past, many companies have used the Kill Switch to curb piracy. In 2009, Amazon removed e-book copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm from users’ Kindles because the publisher who sold them had not acquired the necessary rights.

Image by CEO1O17

Windows 8 to have a Kill Switch

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