I was gonna comment something about Linux distro also having a machine ID, but then I remembered that it’s not in a big database, and it’s so well enforced I routinely have multiple machines with the same ID pop up :D
Linux users will probably tell you their id if you ask them nicely and seem interested in their distro of choice.
My laptop came with Win11, I’ve removed that drive a few months ago and replaced it with Mint.
Does this mean MS has my motherboard, WiFi, other hardware identifiers that would still tie that laptop to their database?
Yup!
Motherboard, CPU, GPU models and serial numbers. Ram size and speed. Those were used during Windows activation as old as windows 95. But likely yes, a full list of every component connected.
Your Android phone collects every WiFi network it has ever seen and sends it to Google, so we should assume Microsoft does the same (Android can locate you without GPS by using your neighbors’ WiFi signals as position identifiers, and can triangulate you to a few feet using the relative networks’ signal strengths)
GrapheneOS babyyyyy
And if you dont have Pixel, try /e/os, SailfishOS, Mobian, PostmarketOS or anything other than vendor Android.
Cannot wait for the Motorola/GrapheneOS collab phones.
Um… You’re aware that your pixel was known to google before you graphened it?
Never knew a google account, so it was known to Google but not to me. … but while on the topic, know of a better option?
Android phone collects every WiFi network it has ever seen and sends it to Google
Possibly, but how often do you use WiFi on a phone?
Possibly, but how often do you use WiFi on a phone?
Basically whenever I’m at home or a relative’s house?
Please note: I didn’t say you had to connect to these networks. This happens as a background process unless you do a ritual to shut off location services and actively work to keep it off. Most people do not know/care to do this. And even if it’s off in settings, some apps have the permission to temporarily override this (and will ask you once to grant it such permission and then have that permission for the lifetime of the app). And regardless of which app overrides said setting, Google gets a copy of whatever the background scan finds (for all Android phones that have the Play store installed, which is most of them).
If it was registered, probably. They use a mixture of that to allow re-enabling the same license on the same hardware.
There’s a very easy trick to defeat this: use Linux.
If that hacker only knew about tracking by Windows…
So they’re saying that all these “secret” societies online, like the Peter Thiel psychopathy, are relatively easily identified and rounded up and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and they’re just choosing not to do it? I’m shocked.
Why would they catch pedophiles? Their founder is one
The level of naivete to think it’s a good idea using a microsoft account on a microsoft product for your illegal activity is astounding. Especially when you consider the amount of technical knowledge required to do such a thing.
I legitimately cannot make that connection, Microsoft has never been shy about tracking you or their tight relationship with 3 letter agencies. It doesn’t take a genius to know they are going to snitch, I figured that was a foregone conclusion.
Kids need to learn about OPSEC.
Yeah. What a moron.
He’ so stupid for sending ransomware and logging into snapchat/facebook from the same laptop without even using VMs
arguably more stupid for using windows and assuming there was any level of privacy
Identifier. Not tracker. They’re not phoning home, thank god.
Ugh… How do you think they correlated the GDID to his social media?
Ctrl-f NSAKEY (sees nothing) — it seems the internet has forgotten the NSAKEY debacle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSAKEY
It is truly god damn unfortunate that Microsoft has spent decades fostering a level of technical ineptitude among the average person that they cannot even consider getting off their fucking shit ass platform that “just works”. Because that is the real problem. So many people on here will say “just use Linux!” But the vast majority of people cannot fathom where to even start with that and won’t even consider it because Windows “just works” and it has done so for so long that people just can’t be bothered.
The only part of “just works” that’s still “just” working is that windows comes installed by default on the vast majority of laptops. I dread having to use windows each time I have to, not because linux is that much better, but because windows is really just that much worse.
It’s easier than ever to use Linux these days and Lemmy certainly doesn’t lack for penguin faithful that’ll proselytize and condemn you to computer-hell if you don’t adopt their religion.
But the “”“problem”“” is that Windows works okay for the vast majority of users. Most of the annoying parts of W11 can be changed or disabled within the OS itself, without needing special tools or knowledge. And I think that the vast majority of users don’t even care enough to do that. We use stock W11 at work and while the “new” style right menus and shit are annoying, they still function fine.
Windows likely won’t lose serious market share until prebuilt PCs come with Linux instead of Windows installed. Especially the non-gaming prebuilts.
Also 10. And 8. Maybe since Vista actually…
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BTW
