Welly Wu
August 24th, 2015, 09:46 PM
1. http://www.zdnet.com/article/sick-of-windows-spying-on-you-go-linux/
Steven J. Vaughns-Nichols is a popular columnist for ZDNet and he wrote an article to persuade people to switch from Microsoft Windows 10 to desktop GNU/Linux specifically Linux Mint 17.2 "Rafaela" 64 bit for the sake of privacy. It's a rather short article that is rather solid in terms of presenting his case to the tech audience. He's right that Microsoft Windows 10 spies on its users and this "feature" can not be totally disabled given the architecture and design of this new desktop and soon to be mobile operating system from the ground up. Windows 10 is more so a hybrid operating system that combines tried and true desktop features with a strong emphasis on cloud integration especially within the Microsoft ecosystem. The features such as Cortana, Edge, Modern UI Apps, etc. all collect user and usage data and they send it to Microsoft Corporation or its affiliates for data processing, analysis, mining, etc. It seems to me that more PC users be it Microsoft Windows 10, Apple Macintosh El Capitan, and even Ubuntu per se are willing to sacrifice a little privacy and security for cool new features and innovation dictated to them by a corporation. I'm not letting Ubuntu off the hook either. Much has been ballyhooed about the invasive Amazon search results and Ubuntu Unity Dash lenses plus the Zeitgeist feature here so much so that Mr. Richard Stallman called Ubuntu a risk to user privacy in the name of the almighty British Sterling Pound in the past. However, Canonical caved in and let Ubuntu users turn off these cloud features with a simple swipe of a button. Microsoft Windows 10 and presumably Apple Macintosh OS X make that almost technically impossible to do so completely. Worse yet, both Apple and Microsoft collect more user and usage data if you use Windows Phone or iOS so these two companies got you by hook and by crook on all of your branded devices. Canonical seems to be edging in that direction with Ubuntu Touch, but it's too early to tell just how much user and usage data will be collected for the sake of embracing the cloud as opposed to protecting user's privacy. One thing is for certain: Canonical is not making enough money off of desktop Ubuntu and their zealous push for Ubuntu Touch may wind up to become a small dud when competing against Google Android and Apple iOS among the dozens of smaller open source mobile operating systems expected to hit worldwide markets by this holiday shopping season. I think that Ubuntu Touch is a small fry and it is going to wind up in a small pond in the end.
Is desktop GNU/Linux the last safe haven for protecting user privacy? I think so. You can't tell me to hook up a GPS to my 2015 ZaReason Zeto desktop PC and I can control which software products and apps to download and install that don't put my privacy at greater risk to a certain degree. Once you go mobile, it's pretty much game over with the broken permissions system that nobody reads like EULAs for proprietary software products on desktops and laptops.
It's a gold, silver, platinum, and diamond mine for intelligence agencies worldwide to harvest your identity and data. That's all I will say.
Steven J. Vaughns-Nichols is a popular columnist for ZDNet and he wrote an article to persuade people to switch from Microsoft Windows 10 to desktop GNU/Linux specifically Linux Mint 17.2 "Rafaela" 64 bit for the sake of privacy. It's a rather short article that is rather solid in terms of presenting his case to the tech audience. He's right that Microsoft Windows 10 spies on its users and this "feature" can not be totally disabled given the architecture and design of this new desktop and soon to be mobile operating system from the ground up. Windows 10 is more so a hybrid operating system that combines tried and true desktop features with a strong emphasis on cloud integration especially within the Microsoft ecosystem. The features such as Cortana, Edge, Modern UI Apps, etc. all collect user and usage data and they send it to Microsoft Corporation or its affiliates for data processing, analysis, mining, etc. It seems to me that more PC users be it Microsoft Windows 10, Apple Macintosh El Capitan, and even Ubuntu per se are willing to sacrifice a little privacy and security for cool new features and innovation dictated to them by a corporation. I'm not letting Ubuntu off the hook either. Much has been ballyhooed about the invasive Amazon search results and Ubuntu Unity Dash lenses plus the Zeitgeist feature here so much so that Mr. Richard Stallman called Ubuntu a risk to user privacy in the name of the almighty British Sterling Pound in the past. However, Canonical caved in and let Ubuntu users turn off these cloud features with a simple swipe of a button. Microsoft Windows 10 and presumably Apple Macintosh OS X make that almost technically impossible to do so completely. Worse yet, both Apple and Microsoft collect more user and usage data if you use Windows Phone or iOS so these two companies got you by hook and by crook on all of your branded devices. Canonical seems to be edging in that direction with Ubuntu Touch, but it's too early to tell just how much user and usage data will be collected for the sake of embracing the cloud as opposed to protecting user's privacy. One thing is for certain: Canonical is not making enough money off of desktop Ubuntu and their zealous push for Ubuntu Touch may wind up to become a small dud when competing against Google Android and Apple iOS among the dozens of smaller open source mobile operating systems expected to hit worldwide markets by this holiday shopping season. I think that Ubuntu Touch is a small fry and it is going to wind up in a small pond in the end.
Is desktop GNU/Linux the last safe haven for protecting user privacy? I think so. You can't tell me to hook up a GPS to my 2015 ZaReason Zeto desktop PC and I can control which software products and apps to download and install that don't put my privacy at greater risk to a certain degree. Once you go mobile, it's pretty much game over with the broken permissions system that nobody reads like EULAs for proprietary software products on desktops and laptops.
It's a gold, silver, platinum, and diamond mine for intelligence agencies worldwide to harvest your identity and data. That's all I will say.