Things Newly Enshittified

[joele]

Google are also finally releasing their long threatened Manifest v3 update to Chrome that will block ad blockers. Of course the reason is not "we want to stop ad blockers" the professed reasoning is "we are increasing privacy and security by blocking a bunch of 3rd party extensions" i.e. we are doing it for you I swear..

That said if you care about privacy, ads and trackers you really should never have been using Chrome.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/11 ... june-2024/

[Irrev-Black]

This has to be stopped.

SomeGadgetGuy@techhub.social
SomeGadgetGuy
@SomeGadgetGuy@techhub.social

It just clicked in my brain. What I haven't been able to articulate about why I'm so anxious about #Windows Recall. I'm sure others have already gotten to where I am.

It's worse than "a system that tracks everything you do" and stores that info in a basic database that could be easily compromised.
It's worse than a nanny surveillance tool for companies to spy on their employees.

It's inescapable.

It doesn't matter if I make a dozen "how to disable recall" tutorials. The second YOUR data shows up on someone ELSE'S screen, it's in THEIR recall database.

It won't matter if you're a master #security expert specialist. You can't account for EVERY other computer you've ever interacted with. If a family member looks up an old email with your personal data in it, your data is now at risk.

If THEIR system is compromised YOUR data is at risk.

I just went from "vague feeling of unease" to "actively writing templates to canvas elected officials, regulators, and attorneys general."

2h
ireneista@irenes.space
Irenes (many) @ireneista@irenes.space

@SomeGadgetGuy please also keep in mind that once it becomes entrenched, it will be much harder to fight. so yes - if you have energy to make a fuss, the best time is right now.

[Irrev-Black]

Re Recall: That nice Mr Stross is writing horror again.

Surprise! It turns out that the unencrypted database and the stored images may contain your user credentials and passwords. And other stuff. Got a porn habit? Congratulations, anyone with access to your user account can see what you've been seeing. Use a password manager like 1Password? Sorry, your 1Password passwords are probably visible via Recall, now.

Now, "unencrypted" is relative; the database is stored on a filesystem which should be encrypted using Microsoft's BitLocker. But anyone with credentials for your Microsoft account can decrypt it and poke around. Indeed, anyone with access to your PC, unlocked, has your entire world at their fingertips.

But this is an utter privacy shit-show. Victims of domestic abuse are at risk of their abuser trawling their PC for any signs that they're looking for help. Anyone who's fallen for a scam that gave criminals access to their PC is also completely at risk.

Worse: even if you don't use Recall, if you send an email or instant message to someone else who does then it will be OCRd and indexed via Recall: and preserved for posterity.
Now imagine the shit-show when this goes corporate.

And it turns out that Microsoft is pushing this feature into the latest update of Windows 11 for all compatible hardware and making it impossible to remove or disable, because that tactic has worked so well for them in the past at driving the uptake of new technologies that Microsoft wanted its ~~customers~~ victims to start using. Like, oh, Microsoft Internet Explorer back in 2001, and remember how well that worked out for them.

Suddenly every PC becomes a target for Discovery during legal proceedings. Lawyers can subpoena your Recall database and search it, no longer being limited to email but being able to search for terms that came up in Teams or Slack or Signal messages, and potentially verbally via Zoom or Skype if speech-to-text is included in Recall data.

It's a shit-show for any organization that handles medical records or has a duty of legal confidentiality; indeed, for any business that has to comply with GDPR (how does Recall handle the Right to be Forgotten? In a word: badly), or HIPAA in the US. This misfeature contravenes privacy law throughout the EU (and in the UK), and in healthcare organizations everywhere which has a medical right to privacy. About the only people whose privacy it doesn't infringe are the Hollywood studios and Netflix, which tells you something about the state of things.

As always, the comments also contain rare and precious gems from Charlie and others.

https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-s ... mmit-.html

[Irrev-Black]

The absence of SORBS must surely count as enshittification.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/07/sorbs_closed/

[Loki]

ADOBE

That is all

[Irrev-Black]

ADOBE

That is all

This may be of use.

ellane@pkm.social
Ellane W
@ellane@pkm.social

Hello, dear newly disgruntled Adobe Illustrator / PhotoShop / InDesign users!

You may like to know that the Affinity Suite is currently on sale for 50% off. No subscription. Perhaps there'll be one in the future for fancy Canva-integrated collaboration, but the base products will always be free. I'm an optimistic soul, so I believe them.

Yes Affinity apps can open native Adobe files. I've been a satisfied customer for many years, happy to endorse them.
#Adobe
#GraphicDesign
#Design

[Irrev-Black]

Regarding the Meta/Farcebook/Instagrime AI enshittification -

ADD: Which apparently involves any material since 2007.

KathyReid@aus.social
Kathy Reid
@KathyReid@aus.social

So, in Australia, there's no easy way to opt out of #MetaAI's new #enshittification move of training its #AI on all your words and images, a policy which takes effect from 26th June.

Or is there?

I asked Meta AI's chat bot how to do this, and here's how the conversation went:

> Tell me how to opt out of my data being used to train AI

META AI RESPONSE:

To opt out of your data being used to train AI, you can submit a request through the Meta Privacy Center. Here's how:

1. Go to (link unavailable)
2. Click on "Settings" (icon) in the top right corner
3. Click on "Meta's use of AI and machine learning"
4. Scroll down to "Control how your data is used to improve Meta's products and services"
5. Select "Submit a request" under "Use of data for AI and machine learning"
6. Fill out the form with your name, email address, and a brief description of your request (e.g., "Opt out of AI training data usage")
7. Submit the form

Alternatively, you can also send a request via email to mailto:privacy@meta.com with the subject "Opt out of AI training data usage" and include your name and email address.

Please note that you may need to verify your identity to process the request. Meta will review your request and respond to your email address with a decision.

Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns!

> How long does it take Meta to review my request and to respond?

META AI RESPONSE:

Meta aims to review and respond to privacy requests, including opt-out requests for AI training data usage, within a reasonable time frame, typically:

- 30 days from the date of receipt for requests made through the Privacy Center
- 30 days from the date of verification (if required) for requests made via email

Please note that the review process may take longer if:

- The request is complex or requires additional information
- Meta needs to verify your identity or confirm your request
- There are technical issues or high volumes of requests

If you have submitted a request, you can expect an email response from Meta once your request has been reviewed and processed. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to ask!

---

I have sent the email to privacy@meta.com with the appropriate subject line, requesting to be opted out of training.

I'll let y'all know how the request goes.

I mean, if their own #chatbot tells you how to opt out, it must be true, right?!

More:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-10/ ... e=mastodon

(I am adding utm_source=mastodon to links I post so that Mastodon shows up as the source, to encourage folks like the ABC to get on to #Mastodon)

[stylofone]

Bill Gates had a spray about climate change recently. He wanted to be a saviour again, but he admitted private jets are his weakness and offered the feeble excuse that he somehow offsets emissions from his lifestyle of obscene wealth. Microsoft has also made lofty promises about its emissions, but it seems the dystopian fever dream of AI has flushed that down the toilet. Gates and Musk have traits in common, mostly the messiah complex.

After the latest broad-ranging Microsoft evisceration by Cory Doctorow (link below), I wrote this on Mastodon:

I always did my utmost to use pirated versions of software, especially things like Windows and Photoshop. Then, several years ago, I realised two things: for my purposes, the open source alternatives are better; and that even if you "steal" from the enshittified monsters, they are still exploiting you as you support their platforms.

It's the same for institutions, governments, businesses, under the evil spell of M$. It's worse than ever now.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/14/patc ... oled-again