Putin casts online vote using unlicensed Windows on an American Dell PC — 'Activate Windows' watermark visible in official Kremlin clip, uses foreign Dell PC despite Russian tech mandate
An official Russian media clip shows Putin voting on a Dell PC with an unlicensed copy of Windows.
Russian President Vladimir Putin cast his vote in the State Duma elections via online ballot on Friday, a routine procedure for any head of state. However, the televised clip of this event has garnered international attention for peculiar reasons. The official video appears to depict Putin voting on a personal computer that was using an unlicensed version of Windows operating system, running on a Dell Personal Computer (PC).
Following his vote, Putin remarked, “You can’t go wrong,” as he selected his preferred candidate. Critics have also pointed out his seemingly poor mouse control, reminiscent of a novice player in e-sports. The video display of his online vote prominently featured the “Activate Windows” watermark, which confirms the presence of an unlicensed Windows OS.
This unlicensed Windows activation watermark on Putin’s PC screen denotes a violation of Microsoft’s licensing terms. The legal price for a copy of Windows 11 starts at $139, showing that Putin's unlicensed copy is significantly cheaper. According to Russian state media TASS, Putin chose to vote remotely for the 9th State Duma election, a legislative body of the Russian parliament.
Notably, this year marks the first time that residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, will be able to participate in the elections. The Kremlin clip has sparked discussions about Putin's preferred choice of voting platform. Some point out that Putin's comment about “you can’t go wrong” seems to be a tongue-in-cheek jab at the certainty of the election outcome.
It appears that Putin’s choice of a foreign Dell PC for this vote might be due to the Russian government’s mandate for localized computers. This could explain why an unactivated and unregistered copy of Windows was employed for the Kremlin’s publicity purposes. Putin’s declining eyesight might be responsible for his difficulty interacting with the online voting forms, rather than a lack of dexterity in using a mouse.
It is suggested that Putin should wear his glasses or the Kremlin may need to code a specialized feature for his personal PC used for critical functions.
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