This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
I'm a Linux guy and I don't really care about Windows, but I'm glad to see this happening and every day I thank Europe for being the main entity fighting for regulation of big tech monopolies, because America is really failing.
Its nuts that during the Obama admin, all anyone cared about was the threat of zero privacy. Now everyone in the US has surrendered to it, because our politicians have sold our digital privacy rights to the tech companies.
If we had actual IT giants in Europe, this would look very different.
I've seen how the car industry in Germany only got a slap on the wrist because of Dieselgate and even got the chance to send out advertisement payed by the government.
I feel like the only reason stuff like this gets pushed so hard is because we try to slow down the current IT giants until we get our shit together.
I'm glad that we do it, but i wouldn't say we are better than anyone else.
Thanks for the honest take, a lot of people get caught up in the idea that if an organization does something that aligns with them, they are good or doing it for the same reasons.
There is a lot of protectionism at the heart of the EU. They are quite happy to heavily regulate Big Tech when it’s not based in their own market. Unfortunately they don’t have quite the same passion for nurturing the European tech industry as much as stifling the foreign ones.
They are it purely fighting these fights for the greater good, or they wouldn’t also be pushing things like the recent browser certificate debacle.
EU is very much a mixed bag. On the one hand, they do this, on the other hand, they tried to ban P2P encryption and microtargetted religious and elderly in resisting countries, feeding them the classic "it's for the children's safety" lies.
ABOUT FUCKING TIME. Take edge and shove it so far up your data tracking sphincter of a face hole.
Can we please get these laws on a global level.
Why yes Microsoft, I am totally a European in Europe right now...
VPN to Sweden, update Windows to the EEA version, profit?
I'm not holding my breath, but we can hope.
It 's wild to think that some people might VPN to the EU for basic rights.
Hey, 'Muricans, how come we need to pressure every company into compliance for you?
Do you really think any average citizen has any say in this whatsoever?
Thank you Europe. Once again you prove yourself to be what we all aspire to be.
As an American, all I can say is thank you Europe for continuing to have sensible legislation that forces these companies to have decent policies worldwide if only to comply with EU laws. I only use Windows on my company provided laptop but just because I don't need to worry about it personally doesn't mean that I shouldn't care about how it affects others.
We're basically dependent on the EU and California to have any rights as consumers at all.
So apparently having consumer-friendly laws does in fact lead to better products. Cool.
Perhaps the USA and other countries should follow the EU's good example on this.
Yeah turns out businesses behave when you legislate their misdeeds instead of just calling them job creators
Now there will be two versions of Windows. One that adheres to EU regulation, and another that's filled with ads for everyone else.
Windows 12 Euro Trash Edition and Windows 12 Red Blooded God Anointed American Edition. If either crosses the EU boarder the computer will explode killing everyone in a 10 meter radius.
They say if you don't pay, you're the product, but that's obviously bullshit, paying solves nothing. The saying should be never trust corporations.
I just switched to Linux. Get fucked!
and that's the only long-term winning move, because MS shenanigans will never end
Regulation works.
Once steam covers 90% of games windows becomes irrelevant.
So what you’re saying is, 2024 will be the year of Linux on the desktop?
Does Linux let you disable its system-embedded advertisements? Didn't think so!
Only in EU/EEA countries. So us here in ~~Gilead~~ America are SOL at the moment
At last. This is actually good news for Windows itself because people will be more inclined to use it again if they don't see ads, aren't tracked, can set any default browser etc.
So it's good for both users and Microsoft.
Sometimes these corporations just can't help themselves by adding trash and they need a mommy figure to force them to stop doing that which ultimately benefits themselves.
FUCK YEAH! EAT SHIT MICROSOFT!
I mean...I still would've blocked the ads no matter what. I paid for my computer it's mine and I should be allowed to control it.
I’m genuinely worried if hell is okay, are you guys getting a tad chilly?
Based EU.
Hell has truly frozen over. I guarantee that uninstalling edge will break something else in Windows
EU to the rescue once again.
Does this also mean Google will let me uninstall Chrome from my Android device? Or is this only about PC's?
How do they verify that I'm in the EEA? Do I need to sign up through a VPN when I register Windows or do I just specify an EEA country during the install?
You should still switch to Linux.
It seems in some cases when it comes to protecting you from industry practices can only be handled by government agencies.
