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From: RonB <ronb02NOSPAM@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: Re: Microsoft will force Windows 11 installs to use Microsoft account
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 06:10:16 -0000 (UTC)
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On 2025-03-30, CrudeSausage <crude@sausa.ge> wrote:
> On 2025-03-30 3:00 a.m., RonB wrote:
>> On 2025-03-29, CrudeSausage <crude@sausa.ge> wrote:
>>> On 2025-03-29 2:12 a.m., RonB wrote:
>>>> On 2025-03-28, CrudeSausage <crude@sausa.ge> wrote:
>>>>> ... it confirms the removal of a popular bypass.
>>>>>
>>>>> It looks like local accounts will be a thing of the past, on PCs anyway.
>>>>> Linux will be the last remaining option.
>>>>>
>>>>> <https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/microsoft-will-force-windows-11-installs-to-use-a-microsoft-account-confirms-removal-of-popular-setup-bypass>
>>>>
>>>> The final reason to not install Windows on any partition at all. Zero
>>>> interest in a Microsoft account and about the only time I boot into Windows
>>>> (already) is to update it. So, basically, if you don't have a connection to
>>>> the Internet you can't install Windows. Another win for Linux.
>>>
>>> The concept of non-local accounts is actually unnatural to a lot of
>>> people who aren't too familiar with the way computers work. As I was
>>> doing the tech meeting for my school board a few weeks ago (I'm one of
>>> two tech representatives for my school), I noticed that a few teachers
>>> were complaining that Windows automatically displayed personal photos to
>>> the students (since the computer is connected to a projector in class)
>>> whenever the machine would go to sleep. I replied that it might not be a
>>> good idea to put personal content on the OneDrive account. They had no
>>> idea what I was referring to. Then, another teacher complained that they
>>> had taken a screenshot on one computer and that the screenshot was then
>>> available on another. They thought it was hacking or something. I had to
>>> inform them that logging into Windows is done through a Microsoft
>>> account, in this case the one tied to the school board. If they take a
>>> screenshot or add any content to their personal folders, those folders
>>> are synchronized with the web and then back to whatever computer they
>>> use on which they use their Microsoft account. I also informed them that
>>> this was a _feature_, same as it on Macs that do the same thing, and
>>> that they actively have to disable it. I then explained how they could
>>> do so.
>>>
>>> I'm rambling, but it shows how people expect content to remain on the
>>> computer it was created or saved. The content of synchronization across
>>> devices, for better or for worse, doesn't seem right. Obviously, it has
>>> lots of benefits because it is available to you wherever you are and
>>> whatever device you use. However, it also means that Microsoft (or
>>> Google or Apple) has access to that content as well. At best, they will
>>> store it on their servers and not bother you; at worst, they will scan
>>> your content for politically correct wording and edit it for you or call
>>> the authorities because a cute photo you took of your naked one-year-old
>>> is believed to be child pornography. There used to be an option to opt
>>> out at installation, not anymore. You can opt out from within the system
>>> later on, but finding the option to do so might be a lot more
>>> complicated than you expected.
>> 
>> The only account I sync online is Simplenote. No pictures, just text and
>> mostly just stuff I'll forget if I don't "write it down."
>> 
>> I guess I do have Google Drive, but I only upload stuff up like screenshots
>> or short screenplays that I want to share and I fully realize that Google
>> has access to this stuff, but I don't care. Anything I don't want to lose or
>> I don't want to share, I don't upload anywhere.
>> backup locally.
>
> Getting older, I'm preferring to back up onto my own external hard disk 
> despite the availability of OneDrive and things similar. For documents 
> and photos, there is no doubt that Microsoft offers convenience though. 
> Back in the day, we had one machine and if we lost our photos, we really 
> felt like garbage if we didn't bother to back them up. Now, we're using 
> at least two and if one of those devices were to fail, it's nice to know 
> that those photos are still on the other machine as well as the online 
> server. It's especially useful for users who get affected by malware 
> that encrypts their personal data.
>
> At the same time, knowing that Apple is constantly scanning user 
> accounts to "look for illegal material" doesn't comfort me in any way. 
> To give you an idea, when my father-in-law sent me a photo of my boy 
> taking a dip in his little swimming pool when he was over, I immediately 
> freaked out because I knew that to Apple or Microsoft, that's not a cute 
> photo of my son: that's potential child pornography.

What I'm doing for backing up my data now is getting $1.49 USB to SATA 
cables and buying 2.5" 500GB (7200) SATA hard drives for about $10 
(shipped). A cheap, faster thumb drive. I don't know how many pictures you 
have or how big they are, but a 500 GB drive can hold quite a few.

-- 
“Evil is not able to create anything new, it can only distort and destroy 
what has been invented or made by the forces of good.”  —J.R.R. Tolkien