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Microsoft Businesses Technology

Microsoft is Privately Testing 'Bali,' a Way To Give Users Control of Data Collected About Them (zdnet.com) 79

Posted by msmash from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.
Microsoft is working on a project codenamed "Bali," which is designed to give users control of data collected about them. The project is a Microsoft Research incubation effort and seems to be in private testing at this stage. From a report: I learned of the existence of Bali in a tweet from "Longhorn," which I saw via another Twitter user, "Walking Cat." Longhorn described Bali as "a project that can delete all your connection and account information (inverseprivacyproject)." I found a link to the Bali project page. That page allows those with a code to sign into the site and says those without a code can request one.

The "About" page for Bali describes it as a "new personal data bank which puts users in control of all data collected about them.... The bank will enable users to store all data (raw and inferred) generated by them. It will allow the user to visualize, manage, control, share and monetize the data."
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Microsoft is Privately Testing 'Bali,' a Way To Give Users Control of Data Collected About Them More

Microsoft is Privately Testing 'Bali,' a Way To Give Users Control of Data Collected About Them

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  • WHY IS THIS DATA BEING GENERATED BY DEFAULT (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 03, 2019 @03:25PM (#57900346)

    That's the fucking question, not whether you can force users to jump through hoops to maintain (the illusion of) basic privacy with some new portal, WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S FINE TO COLLECT ALL THIS BY DEFAULT?

    The fuck do you think you are, Facebook?

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Microsoft, offering to let the tortured choose when and how they are tortured, is pretty proud of itself.

      • We need privacy laws now

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by jwhyche ( 6192 )

        offering to let the tortured choose when and how they are tortured

        Oh! I choose to be hung by my toes over a pot of boiling Limburger cheese while being forced to listen to Trumps speeches set to polka music.

        • offering to let the tortured choose when and how they are tortured

          Oh! I choose to be hung by my toes over a pot of boiling Limburger cheese while being forced to listen to Trumps speeches set to polka music.

          Oh great, here come the BDSMers.

    • Re:WHY IS THIS DATA BEING GENERATED BY DEFAULT (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 03, 2019 @04:11PM (#57900650)

      Exactly. They are working on a solution to a problem that they created in the first place.

      Microsoft: Just make Windows NOT fucking spy on users. That's the real solution.

      • Windows 10 is essentially "free". It doesn't even require a license to use. Now you know why.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rtb61 ( 674572 )

        Not just stop spying but also no forced software installs, none, they can fuck right off with that shite. Forced installs of software, forced configuration changes, forced spyware and the unbelievably arrogant attitude. This B$ killed their phone business and is damaging the game console, killing their reputation, damaging their OS business and even having impact on their office suite, as jump finally jump that OS lock in, the office suite goes as well.

        Either that shite disappears or they are done and no l

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Indeed. Also seems to be an illegal act under the GDPR. Why, for example, is MS not forbidden to sell their win10 Spyware in the EU?

    • it is generated by default, because YOU gave them permission. They ask to collect your data and tell you that it will be shared. Don't you read the small print that you agree to?
  • It's going to be exciting to see the anti-MS haters find reasons that user privacy protections are bad and that this is somehow evil. Maybe in an evil world, doing good can be profitable?

    • "Bali" lets users control the data about themselves but for Bali to do that, the users have to give all that data to Bali.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Puls4r ( 724907 )
        Are you saying that we should email all of our naked porn pics to Bali so it can insure it doesn't collect or use that data? I seem to remember that not working out well in the past.

    • Re:I'm sure /. will find a way to poo all over thi (Score:5, Insightful)

      by b0s0z0ku ( 752509 ) on Thursday January 03, 2019 @03:39PM (#57900428)
      User privacy protections aren't bad, but the best thing would be for MS to give users the real option of going cloudfree, not nudging users (hard) to cloud-up their personal data.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by zlives ( 2009072 )

        it has been weeks since some cloud vendor was breached, so we are all good on the cloud.... o wait

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        This seems to be focused on encouraging users to sell their data though... I'm guessing there is no "don't even collect it, and delete anything accidentally collected, basically just nuke it from orbit" button.

      • Caveat Emptor (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Any attempt to delete verifies the data as yours and leaves breadcrumbs for cross reference. Verified customer data is more profitable than random numbers.

        This is a war on privacy and personal freedoms. Anonymity is your friend. Protect it.

    • Here's the problem with what you're saying: Since 'privacy laws' here in the U.S. are a joke, this control over your 'privacy' only has meaning so long as Microsoft says it does. If they decide to terminate the project a few years from now, do you really think they'll just overwrite and delete that data, or are they going to invoke some clause in the convoluted privacy agreement associated with this and do whatever they want with the data anyway? If, considering Microsofts' behavior overall to-date, you rea

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by zlives ( 2009072 )

      "anti-MS haters" so... MSturfers?

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      anti-MS haters

      Just because you don't like something it doesn't make you a 'hater'.. grow the fuck up snowflake, you sound like a Bieber fan.

      Are you that fucked in the head that you can't see the problem with this ?
      I'll give you a clue, you shouldn't need to go to a website with a 'special code' to delete this shit, it should be an option built into Windows so that users can opt out of MS grabbing this data in the first place.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gtall ( 79522 )

      And I am going to trust MS? Why?

  • How about not... (Score:3)

    by b0s0z0ku ( 752509 ) on Thursday January 03, 2019 @03:37PM (#57900416)
    How about not collecting the fucking data in the first place? Will Nerdella give people that option?

  • It will not give any kind of control at all. It will only give them the illusion of control. Much like your bank account. Illusion of control... one command from the IRS without even a warrant can cut you flat off from your money. This is what power structure is all about. Letting people exercise the control you want to allow them to have until you have a reason to stop that control.

    Always... the person with the power to give or take control is the one in control. Any control you think you have is onl

  • I'm assuming this is data collected by Microsoft, hard to imagine it would extend to any other services (FB, Twitter, etc.). Still, it would be interesting to see what data they've collected on me, since we use Office 365 here at work.
  • They know how much I weigh and how often I change underwear? I swear it's not my fault, the washing machine broke and I had to push the limits of modern fabrics!

  • How about (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rtkluttz ( 244325 ) on Thursday January 03, 2019 @03:56PM (#57900556) Homepage

    How about software written that doesn't try to force you into the cloud. How about controls that truly limit information leaks from your browser that can be used to fingerprint you, such as always reply with the same font list regardless of what you have on your computer, or refuse to give up mouse hover location, and do not send keystrokes in real time, require a click or OK to send form data as a completed field rather than streamed. Take away every avenue used for unique identification by default at the browser level. Unique identification should only be possible if the user signs in with credentials.

  • George Maharis already took care of this with Fake Block.

  • Google already does this..... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Puls4r ( 724907 ) on Thursday January 03, 2019 @04:33PM (#57900832)
    Google purportedly gives you access to control a lot of your 'data' on their apps and websites. It only takes digging through hundreds of obscure settings and un-obvious control schemes, individual devices, and individual applications.

    And even then you'll find that they add new "settings" without telling you and default them to the on position, so they're getting information you never even knew they were grabbing.

    An opt-in system is the ONLY system that should be allowed, and not the EULA opt-in system. A system where you have to click every single checkbox for every bit of information they intend to collect.

    Or you could just avoid all this and download my awesome Android Flashlight app. I swear it only turns your phone's LED on and off. Promise.

  • Two main questions... (Score:3)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Thursday January 03, 2019 @04:35PM (#57900862)
    1) Hasn't Microsoft stated that I already have control of the data Microsoft collects? Was that just a lie?

    - and -

    2) Why the hell is Microsoft collecting data about me?

  • Fine enough (Score:3)

    by Impy the Impiuos Imp ( 442658 ) on Thursday January 03, 2019 @06:21PM (#57901450) Journal

    (User unchecks a hundred things they clicked on.)

    "Thank you. We will remember that!" (Proceeds to put you into advertising bins based on what you told then not to follow you about.)

    Better check the fine print.

  • Microsoft would have to be the least trustworthy arseholes.
    Do they think their shit don't stink ???

  • Saying "bali" when playing a game as a kid always meant you were "safe" or "pausing" for a second. Sounds like a weird name for a service like this.

  • Collection of data is completely UNNECESSARY to literally the majority of the functionality of the things that do it.

    Instead of spending so much time to develop some convoluted scheme to give people the impression that you give a crap about their privacy how about you STOP COLLECTING DATA ON THEM.

    You do NOT need to collect data on location for driving directions. All location data can stay on the phone itself. It does not need to be saved by anything.

    This is why I will never use Microsoft anything and I am

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