Sunday 26 November 2017

Micro$oft updates and invasiveness

I'd been putting off updating my computer... Micro$oft always has errors when they 'update', so I try to leave it a few days so that the 'fix' becomes available and I can 'update' and 'fix' the update at the same time.

Back in the day, you would buy your computer, and if you didn't need access to the internet, you wouldn't need to update anything really. Sure, your programs might get out of date, but they would still work.

Alas, those days are over... so many programs run on a 'subscription' basis. This means that you can't just buy the program and use it forever. Instead, you have to pay for the program and continue paying in order to receive the services. My old Microsoft Office 2003 was awesome. But because they've stopped updating older versions, I've had to upgrade... to Micro$oft Office 365, where I have to pay monthly or yearly subscription. Hence, "Micro$oft".

But the latest issue is with Windows 10.

The updates are incredibly annoying. I don't just mean in terms of the time it takes to download and install them, I mean what they actually do to the computer.

Now, every time my computer updates, I have to spend additional time going through the settings to find out what Micro$oft have sneakily changed... without my permission. Their argument would be that by buying their product, I am therefore subject to their way of doing things. I understand that, but I still think it's wrong. I'm still thinking of changing from Windows to Linux.

This latest update has installed something called "Mixed Reality Viewer". I have no idea what it is (maybe one day I'll be curious enough to investigate), but what disturbed me is that it automatically enabled my camera and microphone.

I take privacy very seriously. A recent report of Google tracking people, even without their permission, is something I had already suspected. These huge companies are all about the money. This is why so many services have become subscriptions. But it also means that they can make more money by selling your data. Companies always want to collect data to know how to advertise more effectively. Google Ads, for example, is tailored to what you may be interested in.

Facebook is possibly the world's largest personnel database. Despite me not being on it, I can still access a lot of information that other people put up there. Why wouldn't the CEO of such a major company be working with governments to make more money? Facebook can sell information. Micro$oft can give remote access to to you computer's microphone and camera.

All because some 'update' did something without people knowing.



UPDATE:
In this latest update, Micro$oft also changed my default video player back to their "Films & TV" program. Again, forcing customers to use their products instead of third-party products.

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