7 ms·
Windows 11 will ask consent before sharing personal files with AI after outrage
- gigel82 10mo agoThis isn't a win for anyone. Windows 11 should ask consent before installing any AI feature on user's computers.
- Lare2 10mo agoMicrosoft forgot that what it provided was an Operating System, a platform, something from what the user build their workflows. Now they seem to trow everything but the kitchen sink
- pjmlp 10mo agoUnfortunely Satya's vision is to sell services to the Azure OS mainframe, I miss Balmer's Windows culture.
- wilkystyle 10mo ago"Enable enhanced agentic features for an enriched experience across our operating system!" [ Always Allow ] [ Allow Once ] [ Remind me in 24 hours ]
- devilsdata 10mo agoSoftware companies don't understand consent!
- 1over137 10mo agoThey do, they just don’t want to ask it like that because they want to hoover all your data.
- IlikeKitties 10mo agoThey just expect enthusiastic denial of consent. Unless you actively use technology to neuter and protect yourself from their overreach, they assume you consented anyway.
- malfist 10mo agoYou forget that clicking X on the modal or otherwise dismissing it assumed the "always allow" selection
- qwertox 10mo agoNot true because these never have an X so that you are forced to decide immediately. You can also see it in the screenshot.
- stevenjgarner 10mo agoMicrosoft users are now the product being sold
- lIl-IIIl 10mo agoSold to whom? I understand when people use that phrase about advertising, but I don't see this here.
- setopt 10mo agoDoesn’t Windows show ads in the start menu these days?
- qwertox 10mo agoIndirectly via advertising, this is data gathering for profile building.
- stevenjgarner 10mo agoWindows 11 has transitioned from a standalone tool into a digital storefront that prioritizes recurring revenue through aggressive prompts for Microsoft 365 and OneDrive subscriptions. By mandating cloud-based Microsoft Accounts, the OS effectively anchors your identity to a marketing ID, allowing the company to track behavior and monetize your data. The interface now functions as an advertising platform, injecting "recommended" apps and sponsored content directly into the Start menu and search results. Ultimately, this shift means users are no longer just customers of a product, but recurring assets whose attention and telemetry are sold to sustain Microsoft’s ecosystem and maximize shareholder value.
- wltr 10mo agoI’d reformulate ‘remind me’ part to ‘force me to decide on this again in 24 hours’
- vrighter 10mo agoA "remember this decision for X time" option by Microsoft is a bald faced lie.
- doodlebugging 10mo agoIn reality Microsoft woke up and realized that they were rapidly sliding down the slippery slope towards the sloppy ground of a minimum user install situation and so they are trying to dig in their fingernails to arrest the slide. I predict that they will change their stance after stabilizing their position and advancing a little further back up the user install curve so that they silently move users towards a full data sharing arrangement again hoping to abscond with as much marketable user data as possible before the new terms leak and they find themselves again slip-sliding down towards an install minimum that they should've floundered in years ago.
- jjpones 10mo ago[Not now] and similar "options" will never not irritate me.
- oehpr 10mo agoHas anyone figured out why so many corps do this? It always feels like it's one step from: * Of course do whatever you want! * Nah I'm a big dumb idiot who doesn't know whats good for him so ask me in 3 days when I've hopefully come to my senses. I think a simple law would fix this If no wasn't an option, you did not establish consent.
- xigoi 10mo agoYou answered your own questions. They do think of their users as big dum idiots.
- mhitza 10mo agoNot only idiots. They bank on laziness. One time you enable something by mistake then you might not spend the time to find the well hidden option to disable it. Which reminds me, anyone know the precise location where one would disable Google's Gemini on their account?
- thewebguyd 10mo ago> They bank on laziness. And they would be correct. Less than 5% of users change defaults. That's why features get shoved in, on by default because if they didn't, very few would ever enable them. Not defending the practice, I hate it, but that's why they do it.
- rightbyte 10mo agoKPI hunting? Toxic/fake positivity?
- nitwit005 10mo agoManagement that struggles to acknowledge their users don't like something they wanted built. They'll definitely realize their mistake and turn on our amazing feature! (This unfortunately is the real attitude sometimes)
- jasongill 10mo agoIf this is like any other of Microsoft's attempts to get you to turn on something that you clearly do not want, it will pop up a wizard every few weeks saying "please confirm your choices" and will have a weasel-worded message saying "Increase your PC's security intelligence by enabling AI-powered data validation" with two buttons: "Protect My PC" and "Ask me later". I have a couple Windows boxes for rarely-used Windows-only software and loathe trying to navigate the monthly "Are you REALLY sure you don't want to link your iPhone to this PC? And, are you SUPER DUPER sure that Microsoft Edge shouldn't be your default browser? What about backing up all your files to OneDrive? You sure???" prompts
- jmclnx 10mo agoSo now the poor people forced into using Windows 11 will get constant prompts for each file and new files as they are created ? Looks like maybe at the directory level, a little better, but will be fun for developers :( M/S should allow people to disable AI globally, but that will never happen. Plus how do we know if saying "no" really means "no" ?
- Bender 10mo agoWindows 11 will ask consent before sharing personal files with AI after outrage They left off the ... until the public forgets in a month or two
- mapontosevenths 10mo agoDont forget that it will reset to opt you back in after every update, and on every third Tuesday for no legitimate reason.
- protocolture 10mo ago2026: The year of the linux desktop.
- noxa 10mo agoNo joke - I've used Windows (and a bit of OS X) my entire life and am old enough now that I didn't think I'd ever be able to switch. A few weeks back I hit the point where I had to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 and just could not stomach the UX so in frustration I setup Kubuntu w/ Plasma... and it's been amazing. I've tried switching before without the same luck and I think agents like Claude/Codex/etc are the only reason it has stuck this time. Something that's always been unique to Linux is that if there's something I want to change I can generally do that, but now when I want something customized I can _actually_ do it instead of just slotting it into the infinite "if only I had time" bucket. There are quirks for sure (I'm looking at you, PipeWire) but the tinkery-ness of Linux on the desktop went from being friction to a super power for me just this month - maybe others will catch on next year.
- Kuraj 10mo agoKDE is SO GOOD. I've distro hopped and DE hopped a lot before settling, but it's been amazing for me as somoeone who has switched over from Windows. It just doesn't get in the way, is super familiar for me, AND lets me do a lot of things I wish I had in Windows. I was worried about the "choice fatigue" due to it being super configurable and all, but honestly the defaults are so sensible I haven't really had a reason to tinker with it much if at all.
- 93n 10mo ago+1. I switched from Pop OS to Debian + KDE last week, and KDE has been solid. I too read a handful of articles calling out the choice fatigue, and other than a few tweaks (maybe half an hour?) I was ready to go. I run old-ish hardware (circa 2013) without any issues. Something notable is that the all the hotkeys felt 'just right'. I had to tinker a bunch in Pop OS to get satisfying hotkey combos, and the COSMIC upgrade reset them all.
- 10mo ago
- cameldrv 10mo agoThis is headed for a severe backlash. Social media has broken a lot of trust, but the way AI is being deployed is taking that ball and running way further. If someone who you thought was untrustworthy offered to sit in on your sensitive board meeting and take notes for free, would you think that was a good deal and let them do it? What about your doctor's appointment? I really think the breaking point is close and you're going to see people figure out how to be the digital Amish and run what they need locally and live without the benefits of the rest.
- futuraperdita 10mo ago> you're going to see people figure out how to be the digital Amish and run what they need locally and live without the benefits of the rest. I've been a large proponent of what LLMs and the transformative nature of them, but for a lot of people running these companies, it's clear that it isn't about the technology and instead about control. I've even lost some trust in my Apple products throughout this as it feels more like a matter of time that they bend to this more than they have, especially with the shakeup. I think it's OK if people want to use these systems - but if they don't, we'll let the market speak for itself. For now, I'm out.
- ginnyaang 10mo agoWhat else do you expect when you hire grifters like Mustafa Suleyman and put them in charge of decision making.
- aussieguy1234 10mo agoThere's never been a better time to switch to Linux
- SuperNinKenDo 10mo agoThis'll be a good one for dark-pattern-bingo night!
- pjmlp 10mo agoWhat about not sharing at all? Oh well, if only we could start having Raspberry PI like mini PCs on consumer stores, instead of places only computer nerds know the location, and magic incantations.
- abnercoimbre 10mo agoNo joke, with the Pi offering a premium [0] desktop these days it's only a matter of product placement. [0] https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-500-plus/ https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-500-plus/
- SomeUserName432 10mo ago> What about not sharing at all? I had windows defender want to upload a certificate to microsoft. Default behavior is to silently always allow uploading "suspicious files"
- xyzal 10mo agoThe visual language is not consistent. In the "experimental agentic features" dialog - "Turn on" (positive choice) is highlighted, yet in the "allow access to files" dialog, "not now" (negative choice) is. This is either negligent design or intent to confuse users.
- petterroea 10mo agoThis happens every tine with Microsoft: * Announces feature implemented in a horrible way * Everyone gets mad * Microsoft cancels the feature or removes features people complain about I'm sick and tired of listening to it. Someone in here once wrote that Microsoft must be doing it on purpose - it is similar to the negotiation tactic where you overcharge on purpose so your opponent feels they won something when you settle for less. Surely this is Microsoft's strategy to get you to accept them pushing this garbage on us. Remember, the AI bubble winner won't be the one that pushes the first polished AI tool. It will be the company that fills most of the market, such that they already have market share by the time they are able to do something useful with it.
- deleted 10mo ago[deleted]