1 yr. ago • 98%

Windows Copilot's is showing third-party Ads to Windows users

https:// www.ghacks.net /2023/10/03/windows-copilots-is-showing-third-party-ads-to-windows-users/

BecomeMe @sh.itjust.works Windows Copilot's is showing third-party Ads to Windows users - gHacks Tech News

TechNews @radiation.party [HN] Windows Copilot's is showing third-party Ads to Windows users

76 comments

3rd party ads lead to the roulette wheel of malware injection. M$ can't even keep the malware links off of their garbage MSN homepage on Edge. This would be an extremely dumb move, and they will do it anyway because it trades off security for money.

131
To the surprise of absolutely nobody. There's no way it was going to be free and have no ads.

Edit: By the way, I don't see many people talking about it but DALL-E 3 was stealthily launched in the new Bing chat update and it's incredibly impressive. By far the best image generation AI in the market right now, and it probably won't be free for long.

88
- Do you think that the next step is product placement?
  
  "Draw a rabbit wearing a top hat."
  
  Produces picture of rabbit, wearing a top hat, sipping a coke.
  
  55
  
  That would be hilariously evil, but I doubt they'd go that far. They'll likely just put an ad in-between every prompt if they decide to go full greed.
  
  34
- It won't be free for long. MS already announced that it will be moving to a paid service shortly.
  
  7
  
  Wonder if they'll use the Hulu model of "pay us money and still see ads"...
  
  4
- The best, but still pretty bad at understanding some very basic ideas.
  
  1
- I jave had mixed results. I asked it to generate a user interface and it was absolute gibberish.
  
  1
Geez, ads baked into an OS. What a time to be alive.

72
- Right? You bought the OS but you still get ads. Even worse, it sends your data to MS servers
  
  18
Use Linux.

51
Now is a great time to give Linux a shot. I recommend Pop! OS.

50
- Does pop os also have a copilot?
  
  3
  
  No. However, it also lacks ads.
  
  43
  
  You really, really don't need an AI assistant for regular computer usage. It's a solution in search of a problem.
  
  There are genuinely good reasons to use GitHub Copilot if you're a developer, but otherwise, I think they're way more trouble than they're worth.
  
  27
  
  No Linux distro has, as M$ hasn't made their AIs open source. But there are people working on open source alternatives.
  
  12
  
  Theres paid ai .. like this
  
  https://github.com/KillianLucas/open-interpreter
  
  Give commands to chatgpt in the the terminal. Then it executes it. It can generate files, etc as well. Using python iirc.
  
  7
  
  No, YOU stay with windows.
  
  0
Microsoft has outright lost the plot with Windows. Spyware Operating System.

Linux has come a long way people, far more than you might realise and very suitable for the enterprise. Do yourself a favour, find a distribution that appeals to you and try it out.

49
- I'm tech-comfortable but can't see myself using Linux (on my PC) until it is near-seamless. Windows is a pain in the ass in so many ways but when I want to play a game or install a program I can. I can disable all of the annoying/invasive features one time and never have to deal with them again.
  
  I'm definitely rooting for Linux though and appreciate the users supporting the ecosystem.
  
  20
  
  near-seamless
  
  As near-seamless as Windows? I'd argue it's already there!
  
  21
  
  I'm not trying to twist your arm or change your mind, and certainly not trying to convince you to go install linux right now, Just giving you some first hand experience in response to your statements.
  
  But honestly, it is near seamless as is. Especially if you mostly play steam games. The only games that don't work are ones that use grossly invasive anticheats, like Asian MMOs.
  
  Check out protondb.com if you havent yet and look up the type of games you generally play.
  
  and if you play games from other sources, theres usually a lutris script to install it with 1 click.
  
  Just to give a recent example, I was playing Starfield the second it unlocked via proton with zero technical issues.
  
  7
  
  Honestly you will have far less issues on Linux in general. It is easier to install, won’t nag you for rent, it won’t change you default preferences or force apps as system and most of all won’t data mine your data and spy on you under the guise of telemetry. In saying that, it is with the possible exception of some games take a little bit to get up and running but most on steam are very easy and you will be quite surprised at how many run on Linux.
  
  4
  
  If you have an old computer you don't use much, you should consider giving linux a try. My Windows 10 installation on my desktop is far less stable than the arch instance on my laptop, and I am very much in the "still learning" phase of using it.
  
  4
- I use windows mostly for gaming now. If I'm doing anything else, I swap to my Linux disk. I don't use Arch, by the way, I use Fedora.
  
  2
  
  I was doing something similar for a while, but I found I struggled with inertia enough that I kept doing non-gaming stuff on Windows. I switched to using Fedora as my main operating system, getting rid of Windows entirely, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how straightforward gaming has been. (Though as I understand it, it's trickier for people with Nvidia GPUs)
  
  3
Sigh, one more thing for the list ...

"Didn't you have ads in the 21st century?"

"Well sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines. And movies. And at ball games and on buses and milk cartons and t-shirts and written on the sky. Oh, and in our operating systems. But not in dreams. No siree!"

46
Microsoft: the beatings will continue until morale improves

36
- Microsoft: We now inject the malware attack vector directly into your OS because it makes us slightly more money.
  
  23
Like it wouldn't.

Please, it's 2023. Corporarions have totally embraced the "you are the product" model. They offer you a service on their infrastructure ("the cloud") on their terms, which they can modify and terminate on will. Then they make money by selling your data, showing you ads and using your data to personalize those ads so that you are more likely to click on them.

Shame or ethics? Please, it's money that makes the world go round. Ads in every app! Ads on the web! Ads in every corner of the city! Ads on public transport! More ads! Even more ads! No square centimeter of physical and virtual space left unused!

It's really pathetic.

28
Microsoft will keep doing this shit until their monopoly is broken.

I don't know why people are continuously surprised at MS doing scummy things when they pretty much control the market, have little to no competition, and regulators have proven they don't care.

27
Truly amazing. Usually you roll out these features, get the userbase involved and intrigued at these new features, get used to them and THEN try and monetize it to capitalize on the sunk cost feeling

17
I was finally able to get rid of the ads in Windows. I'm sure that it doesn't block everything, but editing the 'hosts' file helps. At least I don't see any ads in Windows anymore. Here is an simple tutorial that I found on how to do so:

youtu.be/IJr2DcffquI

14
- Permanently Deleted
  
  12
  
  No, it was included when I bought my laptop.
  
  -6
I removed copilot the instant I saw it. I don't need any more Microsoft online shit built into my OS, thanks. (I also use Arch, but Windows kernel anti-cheat)

9
I keep telling myself im going to give linux a try at some point, and I should probably get familiar with it as soon as possible

7
- Your instinct is right, because it does take a little bit of time to be familiar enough that it's automatic, but it doesn't need to be a big daunting thing - I first dabbled with Linux running in a virtual box. Then I dual booted for a while. Now I'm running just Linux. Dipping your toe in the water is good
  
  2
Here's the knife they slip in with a new "free" feature in Windows...

At least with co-pilot for O365, they are charging (a lot of) money for the feature, presumably without ads.

7
- I'm sure it'll still spy though.
  
  5
  
  No doubt
  
  5
acts surprised

6
Ok, I won't update anymore my Windows..

5
I had a brief look at enabling this but I didn't see the point. Copilot in the office suite or outlook makes sense though.

2
Reasons I haven’t owned a windows device in over a decade. I’ll pay the premium for Mac to not have to deal with this bull shit. Also Mac has been killing it in the user privacy game.

-29
- It's like you actually went out of your way to post something more irrelevant and unhelpful than "jUsT UsE LiNuX"
  
  15
  
  “JuST uSe WinDow5!” Is probably the least helpful advice. Windows is garbage.
  
  -2
- Too bad half the shit I do on my computer, Macs aren't even capable of.
  
  14
  
  lol. What? Unless your personal computer is actually a backend server for heavy infrastructure, then a Mac can probably do it.
  
  Computers are just tools, and a personal computer running MacOS can do more or less the same as one running Windows. One tool might be better optimized than the other, like gaming on Windows, but that's about it.
  
  Now, you might strongly prefer one, or not know how accomplish what you want on the other, but that doesn't mean it can't do it. It just means you don't know how.
  
  -5
- Also Mac has been killing it in the user privacy game.
  
  Okay, I thought you were serious, but now you have to be joking
  
  11

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