from washingtonpost.com

Microsoft today began expanding its anti-piracy program by quietly pushing out a software update that in many cases automatically scans Windows computers and reports on whether they are powered by unlicensed software.

The “new pilot program” is a fairly broad expansion of Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage program, under which the anti-piracy check was required only for users who wish to download security updates or other free programs from Microsoft’s site. Under WGA, users who chose to receive fixes via Automatic Updates were not prompted to install and run the anti-piracy software.

Starting today, however, Windows XP users in the United States who have set up automatic security updates will receive the anti-piracy tool. After installation and reboot, they may find their computers popping up an alert that reads: “This copy of Windows is not genuine; you may be a victim of software counterfeiting.” Microsoft also is pushing the new tool out to auto-update users in Britain, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.