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submitted 1 day ago by LiamTheBox@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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[-] nuko147@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

I know many will tell you to move to linux, and they are right, but if for some reason you can not then use the O&O ShutUp10++: Free antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11 and enable blocks for Copilot Cortana and many other shit.

[-] f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 hours ago

Someone should create CoPirate for Linux, that saves a DRM-free local copy of everyone else's data that goes through your machine. For training purposes, of course.

[-] AnnaFrankfurter@lemmy.ml 7 points 6 hours ago

~~Big Brother~~ Copilot is watching you

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 18 points 8 hours ago

stop calling everything copilot, Microsoft. it's pathetic

[-] Michal@programming.dev 7 points 8 hours ago

It's their AI brand 🤷‍♂️ like Samsung calling their android devices Galaxy, and Apple adding i to everything

[-] SaraTonin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

FWIW, the last time Apple released a new product with the prefix “i” was the iPad in 2010. They favour “Apple” now, as in “Apple Watch”, “Apple TV”, and “Apple Vision Pro”.

They found that you can’t copyright/trademark “i” as a prefix in and of itself. That means that while nobody else can bring out a product called “iPhone” or “iPod”, they absolutely can bring out a product called, say, “iLaptop”. And that’s what people did for all kinds of products, hoping that people would buy them, mistakenly thinking they were Apple products.

So Apple abandoned it as branding on everything that wasn’t already well-known for that branding.

Your point is right in spirit, but wrong on that one specific point.

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

except this existed before copilot

[-] NoFun4You@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago
[-] utopiah@lemmy.ml 8 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Reposting from my comment https://lemmy.world/post/37758804/20109240 which I recommend to check, as someone did a test with Dark Souls 1 and IMHO was unsurprisingly disappointing, namely it does recognize the game (honestly, not bad) and get the right boss (which name is literally on screen) and make kind of sometimes useful suggestions. But like... what's the point? Who would play a game and... NOT know its name? Or not be able to search based on a boss name or a weapon name with existing dedicated good online guides?

Anyway... if you still want to try yourself WITHOUT relying on Microsoft consider :

"If someone somehow wants to test this locally I suggest

  • install locally a vision model, e.g. Moondream (which Ollama supports but alternatives too), then
  • take a screenshot of your game,
  • write a prompt like "How can I play this game better"
  • query the vision model with the image and your prompt

marvel at how pointless and costly the whole setup is and how a basic query on e.g. DuckDuckGo with "game name" + prompt would yield way WAY better results from actual human, uninstall the whole, keep on playing with your actual brain.

At least now you can say you tried before you complain, rightfully, that it sucks.

For more check https://fabien.benetou.fr/Content/SelfHostingArtificialIntelligence

PS: I didn't actually try this, I'm too lazy for that right how but feel free to report back if you do!

Edit : 2 potential optimization (despite not being sure it ever makes sense in the first place!)

  • do so automatically, e.g. ~/gaming_screenshots directory (via e.g. Spectacle shortcut) monitored via inotify then notify-send the suggestion, thus stay in game during the whole process
  • fine tune on specific visual datasets, e.g. rely on fextra as mentioned in https://lemmy.world/post/37758804/20113877

" and again feel free to share back results.

[-] lmagitem@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 hours ago

I don't think the point is to be useful, but more to collect data on how you play and how to play.

[-] utopiah@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 hour ago

If there was no user interaction needed I'd agree but here, AFAICT, the user still needs to ask. If it's truly entirely pointless then once the novelty fades away it won't be used which deprived of precious data points, namely user feedback. For non interactive use I imagine streaming provides already a lot.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 91 points 1 day ago
[-] Codilingus@sh.itjust.works 17 points 23 hours ago

Avoid all this with W11 IoT Enterprise LTSC

massgrave.dev

[-] Mwa@thelemmy.club 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

ltsc is fine but i have some issues with it:
1.App support will be like windows 10,fine for legacy or apps that dont get alot of updates but bad for newer apps (on windows 10 ltsc iot)
2.Your using a version of Windows that isnt designed to be used on a home pc
3. you cannot install microsoft store apps without workarounds,only exes from random websites(should be fine for most people ngl)
tho i do use it but mainly only for flashing roms.
your better off using a Linux distro open source,better in the long run and will support more only Windows apps(that dont need deep windows dependencies) with wine aswell as those windows apps having a native Linux version.
and Linux has better privacy on most distros.

[-] Codilingus@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago
  1. It is still a fully fledged x86-64 Windows. You can install literally any program designed to work on Windows, legacy or not.

  2. It is still Windows, only they have stripped out everything non essential for reliability for high uptime, think ATM machines. This would be like saying Gentoo or Arch isn't designed to be used on home PCs.

  3. You can install the MS App Store and Xbox app, and others should you want to. It just doesn't come with them. I have switched all my friends to this Windows and half of them use it with Xbox Games Pass, and one like the ease of getting everything from the MS App Store.

  4. The common person might not want to use Linux for any number of reasons. This is as good as it can get for those who do not want to switch. Not wanting to switch is fine, and shouldn't be shamed.

  5. For privacy since it's an Enterprise version, you can disable all built in telemetry. It just takes some entries in things like group policy and registry editor.

[-] Tenderizer78@lemmy.ml 5 points 16 hours ago

Windows IoT can have compatibility issues with software because they're not the latest version of Windows (think Debian vs. Arch, but without Debian being the presumed default). Also you can't get a license for it legally.

This is all stuff I've heard second-hand, but it turned me off Windows IoT. So now I main Linux and have Windows 10 on my old Laptop (AND FFS WINDOWS STOP CHANGING MY FIREWALL SETTINGS).

[-] Lfrith@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 7 minutes ago)

I've used windows 11 ltsc with games including ones that use anticheat like Finals and didn't run into compatibility issues yet.

Feels like normal Windows experience except no copilot, no Microsoft store, no ads, no preinstalled tiktok/messenger. Just a regular clean Windows install without the need to run debloating scripts. All the ai updates that keep being pushed on regular Windows like paint and notepad aren't present. Its just normal old paint and normal boring notes.

Its an experience closer to Windows 7 era before online accounts were integrated into the OS and nagging people to login.

Of course Linux is the better option.

[-] Codilingus@sh.itjust.works 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

My version numbers on 11 IoT seem to be bleeding edge for core fuctioning. It's PERFECT for PC gaming, honestly. No Xbox, no gamebar, no AI, no shit getting installed after new updates.

The no license legally is why I linked massgrave. Permanent hardware activation. If they wont sell the license for the only good current Windows, then fuck them.

[-] bigchungus@piefed.blahaj.zone 95 points 1 day ago
[-] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 64 points 1 day ago

Anything involving Copilot makes me happy to be a Mac user.

If you have a machine that runs Windows and the hardware is still good, it’s time to give Linux a chance. Look into Proton for gaming (it’s a translation layer, like WINE I suppose). And let’s stop acting like Macs are the odd one out. Macs run UNIX. Windows is the odd one out! ;)

[-] BaroqueInMind@piefed.social 61 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, referrer URL, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behavior and improve our products, services, and advertising. We may collect information regarding customer activities on our website, iCloud services, our iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, App Store for Apple TV and iBooks Stores and from our other products and services. This information is aggregated and used to help us provide more useful information to our customers and to understand which parts of our website, products, and services are of most interest. Aggregated data is considered non‑personal information for the purposes of this Privacy Policy. We may collect and store details of how you use our services, including search queries. This information may be used to improve the relevancy of results provided by our services. Except in limited instances to ensure quality of our services over the Internet, such information will not be associated with your IP address. With your explicit consent, we may collect data about how you use your device and applications in order to help app developers improve their apps.

This is from Apple's privacy policy

It seems to me like they collect telemetry just like Windows, and of course some Mac apps do have advertising which is personalized according to the beginning.

Apple has been doing extremely invasive telemetry tracking of your usage since before the release of Big Sur. Gee, I wonder where Microsoft got the idea to invasively gather all this telemetry from the user in the first place?

[-] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 8 hours ago

Anonymised telemetry is different from collecting information to sell for marketing, though.

Of course, in the realm of privacy, everyone should know their own threat model. Anonymised telemetry is not a threat to me. But if it's a threat to you (nebulous term — the person to whom I am replying, or anyone reading), then none of the big tech companies offer viable alternatives. You (same audience) cannot say Apple's telemetry is a problem and then use anything from Microsoft, Google, or Meta.

For my threat model, Meta/Facebook has always been a bridge too far. Google has too, for the most part. I used to think Microsoft was fine, but no longer do. But, that's just me.

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago

This is stuff they collect when you are interacting with Apple services. The problem with windows copilot is that it collects info about everything you do, even when it has nothing to do with Microsoft.

[-] BaroqueInMind@piefed.social 5 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

This is stuff they collect when you are interacting with Apple services.

Since you are being vague, I am assuming you are saying thats it's only exclusive to Apple-made stuff.

You don't know that, and can't say bullshit like this as if you are an authority on this subject working at Apple.

Please provide sources for your claims.

[-] HarneyToker@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

His source is your quote, they specify it in their verbiage right there.

[-] BaroqueInMind@piefed.social 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

That's crazy because Apple is ALSO collecting telemetry at all times just like Copilot is, but Apple has brainwashed too many idiots with their master-level marketing that everyone comes running to hypocritically defend Apple doing what Microsoft does, despite the fact that Apple has been doing this years before Microsoft had the capability or appetite to do the same thing.

[-] pogmommy@lemmy.ml 8 points 22 hours ago

Does "our other products and services" not include macOS? I mean, you don't stop interacting with their product when you open other programs. You're using their product as a means of accessing them.

[-] RmDebArc_5@piefed.zip 7 points 1 day ago

Wasn’t the point of Apple always that they don’t sell the data to third parties and not that they don’t collect anything?

[-] yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 hours ago

No advertising company really sells data to third parties. Keeping data to yourself and only selling advertising spots is what brings money. Companies generally don't like strengthening their competition.

[-] BaroqueInMind@piefed.social 6 points 19 hours ago

That's marketing bullshit that you fell for hook, line, and sinker.

[-] Lfrith@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I don't think people's concern is that Microsoft is selling data, but that it is collecting it to began with. So for those people Apple wouldn't be any better for PC use, since they are more likely to just be tired of pushing of account logins and data collection for desktop OS.

Point of Apple seemed more to me people liking the aesthics and performance of MacOS itself than seeing it as a privacy respecting OS.

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 22 points 1 day ago

If you have a machine that runs Windows and the hardware is still good,

Linux is often more forgiving on hardware requirements. I recently put Mint (with xfce) on a like 2013 laptop and it's fine. That's not even an especially lightweight distribution.

[-] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 8 hours ago

Yes, it is. Mostly what Windows 11 won't run on is not a matter of the machine's capability of running the software, it's more about the hardware security to back Microsoft's DRM shit.

Even if Linux Mint isn't especially lightweight, there's a Linux distro for just about everybody out there. You could probably find one that runs on 00's or maybe, possibly, even 90s hardware, it would look like shit, it might look like OSes from back then, but it still could have modern support for whatever you want to tack onto it. I will never underestimate the versatility of Linux and its community.

[-] ignotum@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Can confirm, I had a laptop that took multiple minutes to boot and was sluggish as hell, installed linux and after that it booted in 5-10 seconds and felt snappy again

[-] loutr@sh.itjust.works 32 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Proton is WINE, it's a fork maintained by Valve and Codeweaver with DXVK (Direct X -> Vulkan) on top. If you use Steam for gaming it will set up proton automatically for you.

And yes macOS is a step up from Windows, but it's still a walled garden. Want to develop an iOS app? You must buy a Mac, you must buy a developer license, you must use the worst IDE ever created, and you must distribute it through the app store (except in Europe in theory, but they worked hard to make the experience so miserable that almost no one bothers).

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[-] hOrni@lemmy.world 76 points 1 day ago

Well that's not ominous at all.

[-] Twanquility@feddit.dk 43 points 1 day ago

Someone wrote that code. I like to imagine that they know it's wrong, so they frame it as clearly as they can, without being fired. Guy could have written "Gaming Copilot is invading your privacy", or something like it, but that wouldn't pass.

[-] voytrekk@sopuli.xyz 5 points 23 hours ago

With Microsoft, that code could have been written by AI too.

[-] Cris_Color@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Its frankly fucking comedic. Someone seriously thought that was a good way for it to communicate that its turned on 😂

I mean, it's apt. But companies are usually better at pretending they're not up to anything nefarious 😅

[-] dev_null@lemmy.ml 28 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The box says "Gaming Copilot is watching YouTube", where "YouTube" is the name of the browser tab that was open when that screenshot was taken.

The dialog basically says "Gaming Copilot is watching [your currently opened app/tab]".

The text being cut off is making it look funny, but sadly no, no one wrote that message.

[-] Cris_Color@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Ahh, thank you for correcting me, I appreciate it

Have a good one!

[-] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 day ago

Ceiling cat is watching you masturbate vibes.

[-] itkovian@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

Big Brother is watching you. To sell you ads.

[-] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 4 points 1 day ago

And train AI

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this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2025
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Privacy

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