Symantec Corporation, the world's largest security software
provider, announced Monday that, as a gesture of goodwill, it would
compensate all Chinese users who suffered as a result of a faulty
update to its Norton anti-virus software last month.
Individual users affected will see their copy of Norton's
validity period extended by 12 months, and will be provided with
free data backup and restoration software, according to a statement
from Symantec.
Affected enterprises will be given free access to the Ghost
Solution Suite, the statement said.
The move came after an outcry from enraged Chinese users, who
not only demanded compensation but also took steps to sue the
company. The Symantec statement issued a formal apology to the
users for the inconveniences and pledged the goodwill solution.
On May 18, the Chinese version of the Norton software began an
updating procedure during which it wrongly identified two critical
files of the Microsoft XP operating system as malicious codes and
deleted them, causing computers to collapse. As users up and down
the country were affected, Symantec scrambled and sent out a fix to
the problem 80 minutes later with the issue apparently being
resolved inside of four and a half hours, according to the
statement.
However, the "goodwill" solution may fail to offset the impact
of its faulty update.
"Consumers are concerned about how the losses caused by the
Norton software are compensated. Free software only is far from
enough," said Lu Benfu, director of the Internet Development
Research Center with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "The
compensation package is better than nothing, but it is not
comprehensive," Lu said.
Another contrast has been drawn between Symantec's estimate of
those affected, around 50,000, and media reports which stated
millions of computers went down due to the faulty update.
Lawyer Liu Shihui is seeking 1,644 yuan (US$213) in reparations
for losses caused when his computer crashed. Liu claimed he had to
resort to hiring private technicians to repair his computer on May
20 after Norton service agencies declined to help.
A Beijing client has filed a bigger lawsuit seeking compensation
of 50,000 yuan (US$6,564.7)?for data lost from his laptop.
An online survey by Sina.com.cn,?a
leading Chinese portal website, on Monday may
really worry Symantec since 74 percent of respondents stated they
would be wary of buying the Norton anti-virus software in the
future.
Symantec is one of the major players in China's corporate
anti-virus market, holding a seven percent market share last year,
according to Analysts International, a Beijing-based IT consultancy
firm.
(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2007)