Eh, considering Microsoft made similar "harmless" mistakes in the past, I don't give them "harmless mistake" credits.

e.g.: Anyone remembering AppGet? [0][1]

[0]: https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/28/21272964/microsoft-winget...

[1]: https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/2/21277863/microsoft-winget-...

Bots don't steal licenses; people who program bots steal licenses.

It's the latter action that's being addressed here.

The mistake is not harmless. Corporations don't get to hide behind their bots' mistakes. Microsoft needs to reverse the change, explain why it happened and implement precautions so it doesn't happen again.

Problem is in a world of moderation actions being taken by bots and not humans often the only way to get a human to review its decision is to raise awareness on social media like HN.

How often have we seen closed accounts getting resolved after complaining about it on HN/Twitter/Etc.

I’m not saying tha to how it should be, just what it’s become.

- You’re at work looking for an appropriately licensed library to do X.

- You find one with an MIT license and use it.

- Oops! It was really GPL and now you have some undesirable options to face.

Microsoft’s had a few “accidents” lately that remind me too much of their old war on the GPL.

How about stop blaming the bots and take responsibility? The bots have none, the humans behind the bots have full responsibility.

You wouldn't believe how long "harmless mistakes" are maintained without correction, as long as they're benefiting a big company.

Bot-driven crimes would be crimes nonetheless.

How often did the bot make the same mistake? In how many of those cases does Microsoft now assume they have copyright and make their army of lawyers enforce it? Are you willing to go up against Microsoft in a court, rolling the dice?