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Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

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Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#131
post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On W10 you only get the option to create a local account if your network is disconnected, and only after multiple screens of insistence. A normal person being asked to connect to wifi during setup will do so and never have the option to not create a MS account. So it may not be impossible to create an offline account, but for all intents and purposes they do force your hand. On W11 you have to resort to more esoteric…

> On W11 you have to resort to more esoteric tricks, you can't actually complete setup normally without network and a ms account. Maybe with the latest images, but I have an original W11 RTM image that installs just fine without network and a MS account.

Probably you have the "Pro" version, which allows this.

The Home version does not.

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are not paying for your browser with your wallet, somebody else is paying for you. It has all sorts of implications.

Which one is the browser that i can pay for and keep my privacy, then? Safari?

> Safari

Yes.

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#133

This is just bananas to me that a browser would perform "super resolution" at all, much less by default . Couldn't this wreak havoc on doing things like viewing medical images, inserting false detail that isn't there? As well as on text in images, e.g. inventing a cleanly readable but hallucinated license plate number on a car, or financial figure, where the original is blurry? Not only does this seem like a terribly…

I think using some form of super resolution by default is not necessarily a bad idea given other upscaling techniques were deployed before and this is not so different. There are definitely scenarios where you want to avoid this, but these are few and far between.

Sending these images to Microsoft by default however is scummy.

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#135
post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On W10 you only get the option to create a local account if your network is disconnected, and only after multiple screens of insistence. A normal person being asked to connect to wifi during setup will do so and never have the option to not create a MS account. So it may not be impossible to create an offline account, but for all intents and purposes they do force your hand. On W11 you have to resort to more esoteric…

> On W11 you have to resort to more esoteric tricks, you can't actually complete setup normally without network and a ms account. Maybe with the latest images, but I have an original W11 RTM image that installs just fine without network and a MS account.

Correct: with the latest images, W11 will not under any circumstances allow you to avoid creating an MS account. It will insist you go online and halt the installer until you do.

Rufus (https://rufus.ie/en/) offers an option to revert fix this, but you still have to ensure that you keep wifi disconnected and ethernet unplugged during install.

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Forced me to make a Microsoft online account They actually don’t quite force this. They just make it very difficult to find the option to use a local account instead. (Unless they’ve changed things for the worse since last time I installed windows. Very possible!)

Isnt this a dark pattern. I think you are apologizing for them if you say it wasnt forced. It sure feels forced.

Oh it’s a dark pattern for sure, and it’s really shitty. I’m not apologizing at all, just putting a comment out there to let people know that it’s actually possible to do what you’re trying to do.

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#137

This is just bananas to me that a browser would perform "super resolution" at all, much less by default . Couldn't this wreak havoc on doing things like viewing medical images, inserting false detail that isn't there? As well as on text in images, e.g. inventing a cleanly readable but hallucinated license plate number on a car, or financial figure, where the original is blurry? Not only does this seem like a terribly…

It’s crazy. I used Edge when it first switched to Chromium because it was a nice, clean Chrome alternative with working sync. Today it’s obvious Microsoft can’t be trusted. This “feature” is insane and it makes me concerned about what Windows might be doing in the background.

Above the privacy concerns that MS captures your data that they can have their hands on quick and loose and the way they please their terrible record of ruining long living basic functions is a second reson not to go for laptops with Windows, not trusting it for reliabile functionality and handling any private data of mine. Having a completely isolated separate computer for company data on Windows that belongs to the company - they seem to feel easy about handing over all confidential data to them to store and manage, so I do not need to worry there.

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I don't use Firefox/Chrome/Edge or Linux. I don't want to be the product.

Where in Linux is the user generally the product?

Users become lifelong converts and demand organizations convert until they have to give Linus money to fix problems.

(25% /s)

Re: Edge sends images you view online to Microsoft

#140

Here is how you disable that: 1. Go to your favorite search engine 2. Download a different browser 3. Never use Edge again

Its funny you mention that. I was helping with a windows laptop. I swear using edge to download chromium and firefox, the browser didn't stop me, but put a bar at the top saying how I should give "Edge" a try for my browsing needs.

It was a little startling, realizing the browser is watching the url and that someone had to write code for that scenario.

there is it, was not remembering wrong:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/2/22813733/microsoft-window...

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