Discussion – Windows Privacy / Linux Switch

[Trev]

For the last several years, I have occasionally operated several different distributions of Linux. Whether that be dual booting on my main machine, or full installs on secondary machines. I’ve always wanted to fully commit to the switch and remove Windows from my main machine, but gaming has been the ONLY thing keeping me from doing so. Proton is doing great things for gaming on Linux nowadays, and I would say most of the games I enjoy run without a hitch. And with the Steam Deck running on an Arch based system, I am hopeful that a lot of developers will aim for “vanilla” compatibility with the ecosystem. Great things are on the horizon and I’m here for it. But recent events have forced me into a decision to abandon some of the games I love, in order to further protect my privacy.

Microsoft has finally done it. What I consider to be the last straw for me. Now, I’m not ignorant to the fact that Windows has collected user data for years and years. But with the recent announcement of the feature labeled “Recall”, I’m done. For anyone who is unaware of this new feature I will sum it up in short. As you use your PC, Recall will take snapshots of your screen. Those screenshots are then saved on your PC and “analyzed”. You are then able to search through the content, essentially a history of your PC usage. AI tools are then able to run on top of the screenshot and analyze the content. This allows you to interact with the saved content. I have no doubt that Microsoft will collect these screenshots. This is absolutely absurd. Who asked for this?

Note: If you want to read up on this feature, check it out here. On the official Microsoft support site.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... b8ac48701c

I am absolutely tired of the snowballing breach of user space that Microsoft has facilitated for years on end. I am working on making backups and switching all of my machines to a Linux based system. And for those that care about privacy, I suggest you do the same. Evaluate how you use your PC, and make the decision for yourself. It’s going to take some time to fully adapt, at least for me. Though I am a big fan of FOSS (Free Open-Source Software), and I am excited to take a bigger leap into this community.

Some minimal advice I can offer for those who may consider making the switch as well. Don’t get too caught up on a specific distribution of Linux. Start with something easy to install, such as Linux Mint. Get comfortable with the command line and spend some time in the environment. Then you can make a decision to switch later on to a different distribution if necessary.

TLDR; Microsoft Windows is now going to take screenshots as you use your computer and store them. Probably collect information from them as well. I will be switching full time to a Linux operating system and I suggest everyone assess their situation and decide if it may be time for a change.

Please comment below with your perspective on this issue. I would love to hear from others in this community.

Edit: Yes, I am aware that there will most likely be an option to "Turn Off" this feature. But with the closed source nature of the OS, will we surely know what is happening behind the scene?

[terechgracz]

Tldr: fuck windows
I agree

[jacob232]

Go to Tiny11

[magnet]

Same I got off Windows 10 a while before Recall got announced, just because the bloat was pissing me off on a daily basis. Miss the good ole days of simple Win 7.

At least for me, all the games I care to play run perfectly with Proton too. Still a noob with command line but its been satisfying getting custom desktop shortcuts and things like that to work and look the way I want them to.