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Microsoft Will Never Again Sneakily Force Windows Downloads on Users (betanews.com)
A reader shares a report Windows users in Germany were particularly unimpressed when Microsoft forcibly downloaded many gigabytes of files to upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10. Having held out for 18 months, and losing its case twice, Microsoft has finally agreed to stop its nefarious tactics. After a lengthy battle with Germany's Baden-Wurtenberg consumer rights center, Microsoft made the announcement to avoid the continuation of legal action. A press release on the Baden-Wurtenberg website reveals that Microsoft has announced it will no longer download operating system files to users' computers without their permission: Microsoft will not download install files for new operating systems to a user system's hard disk without a user's consent. The consumer rights center hoped for this resolution to be reached much sooner, but Microsoft's decision will please the courts and could have a bearing on how the company acts in other countries.
And we made sure of this because we locked up the fuckers responsible.
Right??
Next time they'll just send it out piecemeal anyway
honest injun we wont!
So where do users who were sneakily forced go to get reparations?
You can trust us this time. Honest! We have changed.
...that it was for my own good that Microsoft shoved Windows 10 down my throat! That one time when they made the "X" button act like "Install" was perfectly fine too, because the message said "We will automatically install Windows 10 unless you explicitly change it"!
There are no demands to make up for all of the inconvenience, wasted time, overages on bandwidth, etc?
Slap on the wrist...
Twinstiq, game news
By now there probably aren't that many people left to force an upgrade to Windows10. They need to stop these automatic updates and reboots. Rebooting a PC without explicit permission from the owner of that PC is as criminal as what Sony did with their rootkit. Microsoft may own the IP in the OS but they don't own my PC.
Microsoft Will Again Sneakily Force Windows Downloads on Users
because let's be real, they've got a track record.
I wonder if this will be implemented globally, or whether there will be a "Windows 10 G" edition. Windows N and Windows KN editions for South Korea and the EU were created to remove Media Player and force the user to make a browser choice before IE is turned on by default.
Some people were beyond pissed when this happened, so maybe they'll just cut their losses and do it across the board. The sneaky upgrade dialog was the thing I wasn't happy about, but I'm sure there are some people out there who are very privacy-minded, and any files they didn't explicitly ask for are a no-go for them. I work with people all over the world, and the EU and Germany in particular has some of the strictest privacy laws. 99% of the information harvesting that your average one-trick web startup gets away with in the US is just forbidden by law there. Facebook and Google are constantly lobbying to have the rules not apply to them because their business model falls apart without full access to people's data.
As much as I disagree with forced patches, it has kept the 0 day rate down lately.
Microsoft has announced it will no longer download operating system files to users' computers without their permission: Microsoft will not download install files for new operating systems to a user system's hard disk without a user's consent.
Define "Permission" and "Consent". Isn't this the same company that defined the red X close button to mean "Ok, Install Windows 10"?
Windows 10 Upgrade Activates By Clicking Red X Close Button In Prompt Message
Sue to extend this to system updates so MS is forced to restore the previous functionality that was available to users.
love is just extroverted narcissism
Literally unbelievable.
As in literally cannot be believed.
Germans complain about Microsoft and come back proclaiming "Peace for our time".
Have gnu, will travel.
They said (emphasis mine):
Microsoft will not download install files for new operating systems to a user system’s hard disk without a user's consent.
How about you just don't upload or download anything without the user's consent?
... they pinky-swear that they have changed. Bullshit! If they ever have a chance to do anything similar and it will make them money, they'll do it. I've been MS-free for years and it's been a real joy to convert so many family and friends to it. Plus, BTW, I no longer get calls from them about the latest thing that Windows is doing. Great!!
From now on, our subsidiary [name yet to be revealed] that "isn't Microsoft" will instead force downloads on users for us^H^Hthem.
Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
has convinced them to do it in the full open.
They really need a clear definition of "consent" because from what I remember just hitting the "X" on the upgrade Window instead of "Cancel" was actually considered consent by MS. It's purposefully misleading and you know they'll do it again with Windows 11 or whatever bullshit name they call it.
Microsoft will never sneakily force updates on users through large downloads and only in Germany
FTFY
doing a reverse of lives are money thing then as they have cost people MILLIONS then a case could be made they are "serial killers".
hey i would be nice and load their jumpsuits with a buncha gold coins first.
I seem to recall them claiming (a year or so ago?) that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows, it's rolling updates from here on out. In which case this announcement is a completely meaningless way to duck punishment - they promise to no longer download files for a new operating system... because they will no longer release new operating systems. Just massive updates to their only one.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Exactly - Show me where this is in the EULA
If it is in the EULA that Microsoft will not do this, I'll believe this.
If it isn't in the EULA, then it is just talk.
What about windows 10 S store only will the EU come down or that or the new windows 10 update that disables ReFS unless you upgrade at an added cost to windows workstation?
UPDATED EULA VERSION
By using the software you hereby consent to ....
....
.... [ 25 pages later ]
....
Your computer automatically downloading and installing updates for bugfixes, security patches, and operating system upgrades with no further notification required, with no guarantee of visible a UI indication, options dialog, or other opportunity being provided defer, pause, cancel, undo, revert, or to opt-out of this process of automatic self-updating.
Would American customers of Microsoft or any other tech giants like Google or Apple be afforded the same consumer protections?
Probably not.
Because sneaky upgrades were seriously annoying.
Also, does this apply globally, or just in Germany?
Is this only applicable to the German domain users or worldwide..??!!?
On Windows 10, and it routinely does a full screen nag pop-up that covers the game I'm playing asking when I want to schedule my upgrade to the next windows 10 release?
No way to tell it to STFU...
Any ideas?
Until the next time.
Let's be honest, Microsoft and pig fuckers are one and the same. Since...like, Win95.
Where's my Bill Gates / Borg avatar. Come on Slashdot, you're slipping.
"Shall we play a game?" -W.O.P.R.
There was no way to stop that crap.
A good laugh is always welcome!
Mainly because we've already force-upgraded everyone who didn't nuke their machine.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
You do know that GWX sent 24 hours of your computer usage to Microsoft just after it installed. I would hope they decide not to steal that type of info again.
Yes I have the file that seriously wanted out, HOSTS file kept it in place for 7 days.
What they agreed to is stopping updates without knowledge. This says nothing about not forcing people to upgrade / update without their consent. If they REALLY wanted to fix the system, they would enable every version of Windows 10 to block certain updates / upgrades and go back to the single update system instead of the update packages.
Windows users agree to the EULA (without even reading it?!) and know that they're putting their entire OS at Microsoft's mercy... and then complain when Microsoft does exactly what they should have seen coming all along?
You know what? Stay on Windows. We don't want you retards infecting other communities.
Don't use Microsoft.
You know that at best they will uphold the letter and not the spirit. Oh, these aren't operating system updates, these are Microsoft application updates. Oh, you didn't realize that clicking any button when the consent dialog is up implies consent? Oh, you consented to downloading a file from the internet, don't you know that we take that as consent to download operating system updates? Microsoft drives laws against bad practices because they keep inventing new ones or stealing old ones from spammers and hackers.
The first time I was unable to use my machine to work because the damned thing was endlessly updating and rebooting I got pissed. The second time it happened, I thought "God, I must be a unluck mofo, really". The third time it happened, I decided would be the last. Using a Linux desktop ever since... and a Win7 VM that is off most of the time.
MS must understand that the space between people-that-needs-to-do-work and work-that-needs-to-be-done is sacred. The OS can't be in the way. EVER. Under NO circumstances a damned patch should have priority above what the user wants or needs to do.
I've been a MS user since the DOS 3.3 days. Now it's over thanks to Windows 10 and I'm not going back.
"I faithfully promise upon my heart and soul that under no circumstances will I stick my hand up your dress ever again until the next time. And I truly mean what I say, Missy.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
You were never trustworthy, MS.
I Too , Will Never Again Force Windows on Any Machine.
I won't even consider it. I realize what I did was wrong.
It's been a fabulous learning experience, for both of us.
After being a supporter and investing thousands upon thousands of dollars in Microsoft and their products since the early 80s think DOS every version of Windows and office and server versions of windows etc. etc. they have lost another customer forever I am Moving everything I can to macOS and Linux and sticking with Windows 7 without telemetry updates to run some of my expensive software that only runs on Windows that I can't really seem to give up. t
Total Disregard for their customers and their privacy using technology that was considered Malware are viruses Until they decided keyloggers and data collection without authorization was OK if they did it. I have two words for Microsoft and they are not good morning.
Microsoft has done this crap for decades. This isn't their first rodeo.
They try this every ~10 years. Just wait. It will come back.
Firstly you cannot give up right, secondly since they are one sided they are not considered contract, and consumer protection being as it is you cannot make something which goes against consumer protection and privacy and whatnot. You can bet your ass off that changing EULA will not happen as they would be dinged for changing it unilaterally, and as adobe found out, be forced to STILL leave the user resell/use the software even after the EULA change. In other word, I am rather sure they will make sure it does not happen again ever. because next time, it will be fine in percentage of their gross sale which will hit them.
being microsoft i assume that means only in germany. do you think they will adhere to that policy world wide? no expectations no disappointments for me.
"... could have a bearing on how the company acts in other countries."
"could have"
Many people think that Microsoft is a software and hardware company. It isn't. It's an abuse company. It only uses software and hardware to deliver abuse.
My opinion, and the opinion of many, many others.
Windows 10 is possibly the worst spyware ever made
Quote: "Buried in the service agreement is permission to poke through everything on your PC."
Microsoft Will Never Again Sneakily Force Windows Downloads on Users
Ya got that right! - Ex-Windows user
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Fraud_and_Abuse_Act
TLDR? From the first paragraph of the wikipedia summary:The law prohibits accessing a computer without authorization, or in excess of authorization.
Putting file on a computer for the purpose of an unrequested upgrade certainly seems to be 'in excess of authorization', especially when you factor in the several million counts of it. The people who authorized this decision are CRIMINALS.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Riiight. They'll stick to that agreement _in_Germany_ for at least a year.
And then "Game On"....
When American companies fuck you up the ass, the EU will come along and sort it out eventually.
The German state is called "Baden-Württemberg"!
>> There was no way to stop that crap.
Of course there is !
1) push the power button for about 5 sec.
2) plug in LinuxMint USB drive
3) start up, click install
4) Crap is stopped.
aaaaaaa
And I promise I won't come in the mail.
You don't put people in jail over civil suits.
In the case of Davino Watson, ICE held him for three years for deportation despite the fact that he is a U.S. citizen. They also denied him access to a lawyer claiming that this was a civil matter, not a criminal one.
When agents finally learned the truth and released him, he sued. An appeals court just denied his meagre $82,500 judgement stating that the statute of limitations had expired WHILE HE WAS STILL IN CUSTODY.
What they did wasn't criminal.
They don't put many executives in jail for criminal acts. How many Sony executives went to jail for using root kits on their audio CDs? Answer:0
How many Wall Street bankers went to jail after causing the 2007 financial meltdown? Answer:35 Compare that with over 1000 bankers jailed after the savings & loan crisis.
The bottom line is that money buys justice in the United States.
Cue oily-weasel style redefinition of the words/phrases/concepts "download", "new", "operating systems", "user", <the concept of ownership>, "hard disk" in 3, 2, .....
(*) "consent" has already been heavily flexed as a concept so will likely be last to receive a refresh.
Requiem for the American Dream
>> "it will no longer download operating system files to users' computers without their permission"
Translation: we will simply add yet more opaque/vague terminology to the already far too long EULA so no-one actually reads it all, where clicking through implies consent.
Unfortunately, our justice system routinely falls far short of this mark when dealing with corporations.
For Microsoft, the jump to Windows 10 represented a one-time only change of business models.
And even as the legal dust settles, we didn't make them wish they hadn't done what they done.
Why can't corporations also be lowly worms under the law?
____
JUDGE Who said that? Who the fuck said that? Who's the slimy little communist shit twinkle-toed cocksucker down here, who just signed his own death warrant? Nobody, huh?! The fairy fucking godmother said it! Out-fucking-standing! I will P.T. you all until you fucking die! I'll P.T. you until your assholes are sucking buttermilk.
Judge grabs Poettering by the shirt.
JUDGE Was it you, you scroungy little fuck, huh?!
POETTERING Sir, no, sir!
JUDGE You little piece of shit! You look like a fucking worm! I'll bet it was you!
POETTERING Sir, no, sir!
MICROSOFT Sir, I said it, sir! Sergeant steps up to Microsoft.
JUDGE Well ... no shit. What have we got here, a fucking comedian? Private Microsoft? I admire your honesty. Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and fuck my sister.
Judge punches Microsoft in the tenders. Microsoft sags to his knees.
JUDGE You little scumbag! I've got your name! I've got your ass! You will not laugh! You will not cry! You will learn by the numbers. I will teach you. Now get up! Get on your feet! You had best unfuck yourself or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck!
MICROSOFT Sir, yes, sir!
JUDGE Private Microsoft, why did you join my beloved Private Sector?
MICROSOFT Sir, to kill, sir!
JUDGE So you're a killer!
MICROSOFT Sir, yes, sir!
JUDGE Let me see your war face!
MICROSOFT Sir?
JUDGE You've got a war face? Aaaaaaaagh! That's a war face. Now let me see your war face!
MICROSOFT Aaaaaaaagh!
JUDGE Bullshit! You didn't convince me! Let me see your real war face!
MICROSOFT Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
JUDGE You didn't scare me! Work on it!
MICROSOFT Sir, yes, sir!
Microsoft had the gall to actually fight for the ability to force new OS versions. So in additional to being ridiculously unethical, they apparently they haven't learned a thing from that debacle and want to keep doing it again in the future.
If Windows OSs weren't so insecure and poorly designed to begin with, they wouldn't have all these problems where they constantly have to update for security and worry about their users being exposed due to not updating.
"blah blah blah, Microsoft isn't doing enough to improve security blah blah blah"
"blah blah blah, where does Microsoft get off upgrading MY windows to improve it's security blah blah blah"
Whatever
One legal reason why most software EULAs aren't enforceable in Germany:
If someone buys Windows from some retailer, the buyer enters into a contract with that retailer.
Any additional crap one party wants to enforce has to be made part of that contract; if the EULA isn't made explicitly a part of that contract, it's not enforceable:
If the seller hides a piece of paper with additional terms the customer doesn't know about somewhere in the box, then those terms aren't enforceable afterwards; and putting a sticker on the box a la "by opening the box, you agree to the unknown terms hidden inside" has been ruled to be a waste of sticker materials.
But the most important bit:
If the customer doesn't buy directly from MS (i.e. if MS isn't that retailer), then MS is not a party in that deal and has no say whatsoever regarding its terms
The customer enters into a contract with the retailer and nobody else.
There's no business relationship being established between the customer and MS just because MS happens to be the manufacturer of a product which the customer bought from somebody else.
Haha. I'll believe that. Microsoft is the butt of the software community and they stink.
Never is a very long time..
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"Microsoft Will Never Again Sneakily Force Windows Downloads on Users".... in Germany.
I love you
The check is in the mail
I won’t come in your mouth
Yes, surely MS means it.
Rule #37 of understanding Microsoft: The phrase "Microsoft Will Never Again" does not mean what you think it does. (Note: see "annoying paper-clip and "Cortana")