All USA Smart Tech Firms are technically malicious state appliances now.
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This is a general data safety and integrity advisory:
After the privacy and freedom petitions last month and reading
over the "so called boring" Windows 11 update 25H2 it suddenly
occurs to me the following:
We should probably raise a petition for the government to classify
Microsoft as a Malicious state appliance in Australia now.
Why?
Because Microsoft is now in effect a Malicious state appliance
now. (and a lesser degree Apple and Google too, but they still
maintain at least the bare minimum of sensible opt-out options)
Up to now Microsoft has been gradually been getting more and more
aggressive with forcing people over to TPM/IntelME/Always
Online/Cloud/Microsoft passport accounts, on its
windows/surface/xbox platforms; defaulting to bitlocker encryption
and such. Going so far as to even trick users with full screen
popups in the same style as phishing scammers. (it has even
tricked users in internet cafes into accidentally signing over
public computers to their private microsoft accounts - super
annoying to cafe operators as win11 breaks system restore, or
hides secondary logins under windows hello frequently after that,
forcing major work to remedy the now locked out public computer)
Right up to before windows update 25H2 there were opt out option
although they were getting harder and harder for a casual user to
access. With 25H2 they have taken the first steps to making it
/completely/ mandatory short of 'hax' the only work around to
non-technical, always online users being updating from windows 10
to 11 where windows 10 was still a local user account.
Lets break this down: (it gets worse)
- So Microsoft now demands all users have a TPM/Intel Me (or "PSP" AMD's equivalent) compliant computer (Still technical work around's, but not for non-technical)
- It must be connected at all times to the internet to signup/login to use your own computer
- You are forced to "make an account with microsoft" which in effect means you need Microsofts defacto permission to even just sign into your own computer.
- They upload all your private documents and images to a US controlled cloud server by default; which also must be compliant with patriot act; which means they must maintain backdoor access to all intelligence and government bodies in the USA to this data.
- TPM/ME/RDP/Bitlocker gives them the capability of remote command and control at one extreme end, or the ability to permanently lock you out of your own data on the minimum end. A frequent scenario when windows hello is used (the default pin/biometric/facial scan option now) and most users forget they even HAVE a password, and a hardware change may disable windows hello and lock them out (more common than you think, windows updates will force bios flash updates if there is a TPM bios update, and this will break windows hello). In effect they can hold your data for random, or prevent you from accessing it, while at the same time having unrestricted access themselves. Support options here are limited, and in some cases have a hefty "support charge" Microsoft is literally a scammer now.
- Windows Hello (a consequence of signing in to windows 11 microsoft accounts) will attempt to require a picture of your face to be maintained (and likely stored on Microsoft servers with your account data) either for your profile image, or as a facial scan method of signing into your PC. Many non-technical users do not even realise this has occurred, since facial scan mode simply signs in automatically on most cases if they are sitting in front of their PC.
- This in effect gives all US government and intelligence agencies (in addition to an uncontrolled private company) access to your facial data, all your emails, documents and photos - which by definition places windows and Microsoft under the classification of Malicious State actor, maintaining malicious state appliances. In other words, Microsoft is technically now GLOBALLY engaging in espionage/surveillance; even against its domestic citizens. This violates several laws, even IN the USA, where intelligence agencies even under the patriot act are explicitly prohibited in engaging in domestic spying without a court order and just cause. Microsoft in effect is guilty of Treason under US law. They also violate Australia's laws regarding illegal insertion, modification or deletion of data too, although most government officials are too uneducated or ignorant to realise it.
- Then to rub salt in the would, they also expect to make you PAY THEM for the privilege since they provide such a laughably small amount of storage in this MANDATORY cloud sign in that you almost immediately need to pay extra for more storage in my standard use cases.
Google too - under their android platform, /strongly/ insist you sign into a google account to use said platform, as does Apple. Although in their case they have the legal defence there are (laughable as they are; since it will keep nagging to finish setting up) opt out options if you have good eyesight and see the tiny "skip" option hidden in the corner during setup.
An option that no longer exists under all Microsoft platforms.
Why is this a problem?:
It is very likely in multiple instances that Government, Military,
Civilian, and Corporate users of these platforms
(apple/android/windows) have signed into one of these services,
and that their device contains sensitive information which is now
available to US Corporate, Military and government interests there
as a result. Even in the best use case of
government/military/corporate devices using bitlocker to protect
the locally hosted version of said data, this same data is also
being sync to an uncontrolled chain of custody within US cloud
servers, ranging from AWS, Google, Apple and Microsoft. The
internet facing side of this data likely has the bare minimum lip
service of security available, but internally any idiot with a
Microsoft badge can see your data.
Add data mining and scrapping of this data by AI (its in the fine print of your terms of service) and nobody's data is safe anymore.
-- New and improved 2600... well.. ..we drew on some flames and polished it a bit.. -- Google - making sure, life is no more, than 1984... -- In politics - Later never happens.