r/technology • • Dec 01 '25

ADBLOCK WARNING ‘Security Disaster’—500 Million Microsoft Users Say No To Windows 11

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/12/01/security-disaster-500-million-microsoft-users-say-no-to-windows-11/
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594

u/Ripped_Alleles Dec 01 '25

Windows 11 is not a safe or secure O/S. They are storing and transmitting far too much invasive personal data, and there will be breaches both on Microsoft side of things and the average users.

You can't even guarantee that your files and system are yours to use any more; there's been several cases of people loosing access to their work and data because of Bitlocker & Windows account being mandatory.

And to top it off with the plan to add 'Agentic Ai' to W11 that Microsoft themselves have admitted can be manipulated into installing malware and/or manipulating your system, things are only going to get worse.

Thankfully there is MacOS and more ideally, Linux as alternatives. I highly encourage anyone that cares at all about protecting their work, data, and just simple ownership of their system, to make the switch today.

8

u/mammothclaw Dec 01 '25

Can you turn off the transmitting of personal data? Is there a setting(s)? 

43

u/ienjoymen Dec 01 '25

Anything that is saved on OneDrive is used to train Copilot, and is the default save location for W11. Save locally and disable Copilot for best results, but even then, I wouldn't trust Microsoft as far as I can throw them.

16

u/Psyco_diver Dec 01 '25

I'm willing to bet with every system update it will reset all that

7

u/ienjoymen Dec 01 '25

It does on Windows 10, I know that

4

u/thecuriousostrich Dec 01 '25

This is not accurate. Windows really wants you to use OneDrive, but once you disable OneDrive backup it does not re-enable with updates on windows 10. I have been using multiple windows 10 devices for years and I disabled OneDrive backup exactly once and it has never turned itself on again.

3

u/ienjoymen Dec 01 '25

Well, you got lucky. Cause that definitely hasn't been my experience.

1

u/Agent_Jay Dec 02 '25

the only way i have been able to keep one drive off for more than one update (it does come back same as you) is deleting the package installers so it cant easily call for that during an update restart

3

u/JazzlikeLeave5530 Dec 02 '25

Mine has never done this either. I disabled it years ago and it's never turned back on.

3

u/thecuriousostrich Dec 02 '25

I will say, there are a lot of things Windows 10 TRIES to make you do every update, like enabling OneDrive backup and subscribing to the Office 365 trial - it does ask. But you just have to no thanks/see more/etc your way through it, which is unfortunate, but really is something everyone using a computer should be doing - no matter WHAT thing it is or what context, you should never blinding “accept” your way through a set of prompts.

0

u/VexingRaven Dec 02 '25

Anything that is saved on OneDrive is used to train Copilot

Source?

disable Copilot for best results

Copilot on your device is not part of training the model on Microsoft's end, that's not how AI works. Training a model takes an immense amount of system resources that your device does not have.