Microsoft releases a special edition of Windows 10 for China

Windows 10 is a free upgrade for most Windows users, but it’s still not gained as much traction as Microsoft had hoped, as evidenced by their increasingly desperate measures to convince people to upgrade. In a further bid to improve Microsoft’s presence in China, Microsoft has tied up with the Chinese government to release a custom edition of Windows 10 for China. Gizmodo reports that the Chinese edition of Windows 10 is called the “Windows 10 Specially-provided Edition”, we kid you not. The entire list of changes hasn’t been revealed yet, but what we do know is that the Specially-provided Edition apparently strips out some games and adds a greater degree of administrator control. Microsoft has reportedly worked with the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation ( CETC ) to incorporate the aforementioned administrator controls as well as a whole suite of security controls for the platform. Microsoft has also reportedly signed a joint-venture agreement with CETC, the latter having a 51 percent stake in the venture, to produce a “safe and controlled” operating system to the government. All said and done, this special edition of Windows gives administrators greater power and freedom to track a user’s activity. CETC is a state-run technology and defense consortium.