Microsoft is apparently ready to roll out a custom variant of Windows 10, produced specifically for the Chinese government.
The company has been working with the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corp in order to produce a government-friendly version of its operating system that meets certain security criteria – presumably such as cutting down on the amount of data it sends back to the mothership.
“We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. It has been tested by three large enterprise customers,” Microsoft Greater China CEO Alain Crozier told state-owned news outlet China Daily.
“We have worked extensively to make it secure and controllable. We are now ready to serve the market,” he said.
Chinese authorities cracked down on the use of foreign technology within government following Edward Snowden’s revelations of US spying, over fears that products from companies like IBM, Microsoft and others could allow the US government to covertly spy on Chinese users.
These efforts to get back into the Chinese government’s good books could potentially open up a vast new network of procurement customers for Microsoft, including millions of state employees. Success could also lead to a spot on China’s list of approved technology providers, which could in turn prove incredibly lucrative.