If you don't like Big Electronic Brother breathing down your neck, second-guessing what you want and delivering its perspective on your requests, and generally invading your privacy, it begins to look more and more as if Windows 11 is no longer your operating system of choice. What's more, your favorite Web browsers and search engines are getting more invasive too. The Register reports:
Microsoft customers are claiming the Windows giant's Copilot AI service sometimes ignores commands to disable the thing, and thus turns itself back on like a zombie risen from the dead.
. . .
The bug reporter also pointed to a post on Reddit describing how Windows Copilot had re-enabled itself on a PC after being disabled through a Group Policy Object setting.
In the ensuing discussion, an individual posting under the name kyote42 suggests this may be the result of a change in the way Microsoft implements Copilot on Windows 11.
"The GPO setting that disabled icon isn't valid anymore for the new app version of Copilot," kyote42 wrote. "Depending on your flavor of Windows 11, there are some steps outlined in the article, 'Remove or prevent installation of the Copilot app.'"
. . .
Avoiding AI has become something of a challenge with other vendors, too. With the arrival of iOS 18.3.2 in March, Apple customers found that the update re-enabled Apple Intelligence, the iBiz's AI suite, for those who had previously tried to snuff it out.
Google now forces AI Overviews on search users, whether they want it or not.
Meta AI, the chatbot service integrated with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp can't be turned off either, though there are some partially effective ways to limit it. Meta recently said it will be harvesting public social media posts of Europeans for AI training unless they opt-out.
Mozilla has taken a more nuanced approach. The public benefit biz has been shipping an AI Chatbot sidebar since Firefox 133 and presently requires the user to activate the sidebar and configure it with an AI model. Nonetheless, a pull request to remove the feature from the Zen browser, which is a fork of Firefox, suggests even that a kinder, gentler approach is unwelcome in some quarters.
DuckDuckGo allows users to choose to avoid AI or not. It offers the subdomain noai.duckduckgo.com to load its search engine without an AI chatbot icon and its standard domain duckduckgo.com to load a page with AI.
But overall, the creeping AI encroachment is getting harder and harder to avoid. It might have something to do with the billions these super-corporations have sunk into the technology.
There's more at the link.
I'm afraid we no longer have any guarantee of privacy or confidentiality with any information we have online, or even on our own computers. Sooner or later Big Software Brother (or an over-inquisitive hacker or bot network) will come snooping around, and get hold of it. Being an old-fashioned sort of geezer, who values his privacy, I find this infuriating, but there's nothing I can do about it.
I do my best by tightly restricting which browsers I use, and making sure that the one for general Web browsing is locked down as tightly as I can manage (to the point that some Web sites won't allow me to enter because I'm blocking so much of the glurge they're trying to send my way). However, such precautions can't guarantee privacy or online safety. The best advice I can offer is, don't go to Web sites where such invasive attacks are likely (such as online pr0n, gambling, dating sites, etc.), and if you feel you absolutely have to go there, have a computer reserved for such social media only. Don't ever use it for other tasks or for sensitive work.
Meanwhile, I'm glad I left the Microsoft Windows universe behind several years ago. I've had far fewer problems using Apple Mac computers, and many of my friends and colleagues observe the same.
Peter
24 comments:
Switch to some Linux distro, something like Linux Mint if you want user-friendly, or TAILS if you want security and privacy...
We're switching our household to Linux Mint. So far so good. We have one Windows machine left, and will probably retain it for a bit, but....
I have to wonder how users with data protection needs (e.g. some government agencies, defense contractors that do classified work, etc.) are going to manage this. The ones I'm familiar with are deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Those organizations use Windows Enterprise which can have things like AI removed.
I've been avoiding Google as much as possible for over a decade. Note that when commenting here I don't use Google to login, because I don't have a google login to use. I just type in my username. There are some Blogger sites that don't allow anonymous or username/url comments. I don't comment there.
Back when I was a gun blogger, as soon as the Blogger platform was bought by Google, I downloaded all my content, nuked my Blogger blog, found a hosting service that I could afford, was not prone to censorship and didn't actively hate me and transitioned to a self-administered version of Wordpress.
It's shut down now, but that's how I blogged for years. Yes, I had to pay for my hosting service and I never ran ads or charged subscription fees so it was out of my pocket...but that meant I was the "customer" to the hosting service...not the "product". Much better relationship dynamic if you ask me.
Anyway...my work computer is Windows because that's how our IT department rolls and because I use it all day long, I often use it on sites like this while on breaks and lunch, but my personal computer is...um...different.
It's a 2015 Macbook Air. It was my wife's but about a year ago, when my 2005 Imac died, Instead of buying a new computer, I took over the wife's old Macbook. I've had an issue with Apple for a while; their hardware is incredibly reliable and long lasting, but so much so that the hardware outlives the software. My Imac was hugely out of date and the OS on it wasn't even getting updates any more. The Macbook, being newer, ran an OS version that was still being updated, but it wouldn't run the latest; in fact it was (IIRC) three versions behind, and I knew that it was just a matter of time before I wouldn't be able to get software updates any more...so I dual booted Linux Mint (cinnamon) on it to check it out. It didn't take long before I realized I just wasn't using MacOS for anything any more so I eventually nuked the hard drive and started over and I run Linux on my personal computer exclusively now.
Even the newest version runs great on old hardware, it doesn't spy on me, and no mandatory AI garbage.
For browser, I use Brave with all Google, facebook, and Twitter interconnection stuff turned off, max privacy turned on and the built in AI engine disabled. I also use the Privacy Badger and Adblock plugins to add security.
Search engine is Startpage. No AI that I'm aware of and private searching.
For email I use Protonmail. End to end encryption when communicating with other Protonmail users (which my wife and most of my friends are) and the ability to encrypt even with other email users if desired. I have a paid account to get extra features, but they have free versions too.
The bottom line is that there are alternatives out there who don't spy on you and sell your private info to the highest bidder, you just need to do a little research, invest a little energy into figuring some things out and avoid the "big names" in tech because they'll screw you over in a heartbeat if it will make them an extra buck.
Oh, and diversify as much as possible. Don't use a single company for all your stuff because that gives them too much control over your data. If they ever subsequently turn to the dark side, having all your stuff in one place makes it too easy for them to collate your online life into a single dossier.
They can obviously do it anyway if they try, but why make it easy on them?
Corporate/government users with data protection needs will have to depend on their IT teams and management to do the right thing. Home users and small business are on their own, as
Personally I use Linux for my home machines, with some migrating to FreeBSD and OpenBSD because quite a few of the developers and companies involved in Linux development community have gone bat poop insane with wokeness and TDS. (Encouraged by Microsoft, IBM, and others; go figure) Just want useful code, not Marxist/Satanic politics.
As for the current state of AI, it's one step forward technically and two steps back economically and morally.
I have an Asus that has a microsoft chip on the motherboard. Mint and Zorin lock up when they are launched. I am trying to find a way around this. I do not like win11.
I'm still fighting Microsoft's attempt to make me upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. They keep trying to sneak it in. I really don't care that Windows 10 is no longer supported, so long as it keeps working.
So what happens to all the Microsoft products if you change operating systems? Word. Excel. Outlook. Do those have to be replaced? Asking for someone who knows nothing about these things ... me.
You're being pushed into a ghetto, to make it cheaper to impose even worse treatment. Don't register or surrender your browsers.
What is irritating me is all of the websites that are adding the stupid AI chatbot to their pages. I click the "x" to close it, only to have it come back again when I click on a link to another page on the same website.
The government will probably get their own non-AI version if they demand it.
I have more than one network already in my house, as I can't trust any devices not to be hacked so they get their own. One day I suspect that manual typewriters will make a comeback if we want to keep secrets.
My desktop is still Win 7. Only because it was 64 bit and I couldn't upgrade XP to 64 bit.
My laptop is Win11. I find using it to be truly a "computing experience" as well as an excellent recommendation to switch to Linux, Mac, Commodore 64 ...
I'd switch to Mac but for the software I use not being available for it.
German Intelligence agency has already done that.
Trying to find something in non-electronic media (typed or written) is a pain at best.
A question for those using Linux - are you using the systemd version or the sysvinit version? Read a few places that systemd is starting to show Borg tendencies.
Here is some info on Win 10 extended support--
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates
To my knowledge, Win 10 is the last OS that is compatible with older Microsoft products, e.g., my ancient 2007 version of MS Word, which still does everything I ask. Looks like all those products become paid subscriptions with Win 11. Sorta like buying a car, then having to rent the tires.
I'm no expert, just a homeowner/hacker who has been in these trenches since Win 95.
I'm not thrilled to go back to sysvinit and systemd is somehow plagued by "features creep" rather than Borg tendencies as far as I know, but I may be wrong. Anyway, there's always the option of moving to the purists side of the spectrum and migrate to Slackware, even though its going to be somehow painful when it comes to usability and convenience...
I use Windows 11 Pro at the office (very small company). I killed copilot a while back and it has yet to restore itself. But it may be there in the background, I do not know.
I am using Windows 7 at home and debating about a new computer with Windows 10... My work computer has Windows 11 and I am NOT a fan.
My old laptop works well, and it's old enough that many software updates don't run, which USUALLY is a feature for me, not a bug.
I use Open Office and Abiword in place of MS Office, plus other free options for PDFs, images, etc. I hate the new subscription models and constant online checking or storage. I am debating switching to Linux (I've used it before) but haven't made the move yet.
Be warned: Windows 11 doesn't support CD/DVD drives. If you look around, you can find a few Windows 10 laptops that still have optical drives.
Jonathan
Libre Office on Linux is an acceptable substitute for MS Office stuff
Linux Mint Debian Edition and MX Linux have both been good, easy to use distributions.
GRC's "InControl" software (previously know as "Never10") will give you the relief you need from having to constantly battle to fend off forced upgrade attempts from Microsoft. Always so glad that I found it!
See https://www.grc.com/incontrol.htm
Own no computers, my phones are Android, and hate Windows. Have no use for AI, unless it's something I'm googling. Screw a system that'll lie to you.
You think Android isn't going to get affected by the whole AI (probably Gemini) crapware? Sorry to dispel your delusion, but Google has invested too much in Android to let the user base "unmilked"...
Using systemd on Linux. But also using OpenBSD and FreeBSD... just in case and why the heck not.
I've yet to try Guix, my capability to configure tricky systems is burned out. So I have a SteamDeck for games.
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