Someone on another website just tipped me off to this news report (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/technology/9111113/samsung-in-privacy-scandal/) about Samsung selling laptops with spyware preinstalled.
The best part is than when questioned about this, a Samsung representative reportedly protested that "we just put them there to find out how the computer is being used" :horrormirth:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/technology/9111113/samsung-in-privacy-scandal/ (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/technology/9111113/samsung-in-privacy-scandal/)
The date on this article is 31 March.
I'm not really sure if it's a hoax--but I seem to remember something around that time about someone claiming stuff about their laptop without actually providing any proof or anything. But that might have been something entirely different, too.
Most suspect is how they don't mention the type or model of the laptop, anywhere.
That said, communications/electronics corporations are doing enough evil shit:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-22/torture-in-bahrain-becomes-routine-with-help-from-nokia-siemens-networking.html
(link thanks to Cain)