What a perfect list of reasons not to use Edge.
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I read a while ago that they busted some hacker kid who used a secure VPN, because they leaked some Windows installation ID or whatever.
You mean telemetry? They didn't leak anything. They just chose to use their personal fucking windows machine for said hack.
Yes, it was a stupid mistake. Doesn't change the definition of "leaking" (as in: information got out that the person supplying the info didn't want to get out), though.
What information? There was no leak, he was identified by telemetry id which overlapped with multiple previous offences.
What information?
You answered your own question already. He leaked identifying information (his telemetry id) himself.
If you're holding out a big ass sign "Hi I'm X" then someone finding out that you're X isn't exactly a leak, innit
It's more like you didn't notice that the sign is dangling from your shoelaces.
No? Microsoft cooperated with the cops to match the ids and identified him. He did not just give out his id like a business card.
Ob-iously, he left identifying information at his target. So he leaked it.
An information leak is a leak, even if it's not happening to a company.
Bruh what information? Name it. I am gonna assume this is just a troll then.
No, it wasn't your average telemetry (although I'm sure they could also find a person only with the massive telemetry footprint they get). It was a specific device ID unique to every computer, that Windows pings to Microsoft every once in a while. So, as long as you're using Windows, Microsoft can still follow you through your VPN without needing to delve into the telemetry data. I'm sure they make a very responsible use of that feature.
Edge VPN: Instead of Patricia from marketing, your traffic will be analyzed by Sam from security.
For me, "earn rewards" is really important.
I doomscroll on 3 different platforms, I view xxx-sites, I check the weather, I buy a shower mat.
I should be rewarded!
(What is the reward exactly?)
Aw, don't be shy...
Cortana just wants to get to know you!
We swear she hasn't been locked in an airgapped cluster underneath Kirkland for about a decade now!
Pinky Promise!
Cortana would have gotten more love if they made her a big booby desktop pet.
TBH she wouldn't have even needed big booba.
Just... even just an animated face mesh.
Like really, they fumbled that whole concept so hard... a competent marketing department could made Cortana in basically the professional version of Hatsune Miku.
Even clippy had fucking animations.
Clippy had fucking animations? That's wild.
Yeah! It was a bunch of different gifs! Maybe ... 128x128 px at 12 or 24 fps, something like that?
He'd make 'facial expressions', and move around... looked kinda like Veggie Tales style animation.
And there was more than just Clippy, he was just the default. There was like... an Einstein look a like... a dog... I think there were at least 8 different little mascot type things, to go along with the actual 'speech bubble' style, actual user interface.
I remember just fucking around with this shit in the early 00s, in the computer lab.
EDIT
Ok, here's the Office 97 version:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=-QBlKo6o4Ec
By the time I was using Office, a few years later, they'd figured out how to hide the 'window' that Clippy appears in, and basically alpha mask the gifs, make the backgrounds of them transparent.
So, not a true 'desktop buddy', as you had to have Word open, but ... yeah Clippy basically 'lived in' Word, if that makes any sense.
Still so weird to me that from all their products they have killed over the years the Rewards are still "living".
Blue and green logo: ✅
Name is Edge: ✅
Remember looking to buy a new car and was looking at a cheaper edition of model and one of the highlights where “Logo on the steering wheel”
I knew an idiot who used Bing Rewards as a reason to use Edge, saying you were stupid to not use it, since you got paid to browse and were getting free stuff. I mean, why even browse if you’re not getting paid? Why not be a digital serf for our tech overlords?
All their reasons or "benefits" are used to track you and sell your info lol.
There's a legit use for Edge: if I have to test out how a website looks on Chromium, I don't need to install Chrome, yay.
For everything else, there's Firefox though.
Your websites dont look the same in both?
Anything Microsoft recommends works in the opposite way, you should not trust. Same as opposite day!
Rewards?
I think they come in the form of coupons, etc, for using Bing and giving them you data.
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