Microsoft Denies Using Word and Excel Data To Train AI Models (tomshardware.com) 23
Microsoft has denied claims that it automatically enables data collection from Word and Excel documents to train its AI models. The controversy emerged after cybersecurity expert nixCraft reported that Microsoft's Connected Experiences feature was collecting user data by default. While Microsoft's services agreement grants the company rights to use customer content, officials stated via Twitter that document data is not used for AI training.
of course! (Score:5, Funny)
officials stated via Twitter that document data is not used for AI training
Well if they were confident enough to post that message on twitter, that's all the proof I need!
Re: of course! (Score:5, Interesting)
Users ticked ok on the fact that 'services agreement grants the company rights to use customer content.'
Why would anyone agree with such a contract? All mindlessly numb by the flood on endless TOS and EULA?
Now step back for a second. Read what you are asked to agree with. And consider.
And yes, though they do not take priority over the law, these are legal contracts people sign off on every day.
Re: of course! (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah, right. (Score:5, Insightful)
And Microsoft doesn't try to force you into a Microsoft account at Windows Setup / OOBE so they can collect data either. Oh, and they also don't hound you relentlessly even after you set up a local account to log into your Microsoft account so they can collect data. Nor do they attempt to push Office 365 and OneDrive/Sharepoint on you to collect data. No, it's all for your own good, don't you know. Easy backups to the cloud, you know. They'd never use that data for anything . . . nefarious. No, never.
We should also believe them when they say that Edge is just Chrome with the extra trust and security of Microsoft.
Forgive me: I just set up a new computer for someone that wanted to keep Windows on it. The poor bastard.
Re: Yeah, right. (Score:3)
1997 called to remind us that we don't hate Microsoft as much as we ought to.
Re: (Score:2)
For a few years it was the online/social media upstarts who were doing the newest most outrageousest stuff. Vendor lock-in and license fees began to seem quaint in comparison. Now Microsoft feels they need to catch up on the "all your data are belong to us" tip.
I'm going back to daily driving Linux once Windows 10 goes out of support - although I should probably go sooner. Then I'll only have to put up with their 365 degrees of crap at work. Not sure if my employer OK'd giving all their data away, but that'
Re: (Score:3)
Then I'll only have to put up with their 365 degrees of crap at work.
You're overstating it. For 2024 at least, it's more like Microsoft 357, with all the all-day outages they have had.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
And Microsoft doesn't try to force you into a Microsoft account at Windows Setup / OOBE so they can collect data either.
No one is denying they collect data. They are saying it isn't used for AI training.
Re: (Score:2)
A good conspiracy needs to have something in it for the conspirators.
Microsoft provides an eyeball API platform (reads: marketing). Selling, renting, or giving your data away is about the same as Cocacola selling their, renting or giving their recipe away. Why would they do it when they make money on account of being the exclusive owner of it?
Additionally, Microsoft is also in the LLM business. Why would they provide data to competitors?
Your conspiracy theory makes no sense and is far worse than faking the
High Speed Nostalgia (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone remember way back when key-loggers were considered a bad thing?
SHOCKING! (Score:3)
Microsoft does something anti-user. This is completely unheard of! Are we sure this is about Microsoft? They're always such altruistic people over there.
Re: (Score:2)
They got big on pure merit! Their convoluted UI's make for entertaining and mind-expanding puzzles that most users just love, especially near deadlines when adrenaline highs are at their most potent and stimulating.
Re: They don't use it for AI (Score:2)
1. ...
2.
3.
n.
x All of the above
this is new to me (Score:1)
Admiral Ackbar spotted it (Score:2)
De-facto monopolies shouldn't be allowed to do this without asking explicit permission.
Re: (Score:3)
Actually, they are not allowed to do this in Europe. In the US for private customers? You may be on your own. I suggest a move to LibreOffice and maybe Linux.
So they can legally steal intellectual property? (Score:2)
And personal data? That sounds unrealistic. Both would be highly illegal and in Europe. Contract law cannot override these restrictions for private people at all and for commercial entities only in individually negotiated contracts, not in shrink-wrap type "licenses".
That said, I cannot imagine MS being able to legally steal company secrets in the US either.
Collecting customer data (Score:2)
All companies everywhere that collect and process customer data without their full knowledge and express, preferably written, consent for purposes such as targeted advertising, sale of data to the highest bidder, building and marketing extensive databases of information normally considered private, feeding data en masse to law enforcement authorities who would like a convenient end run around the Fourth Amendment, and for generating AI models that attempt to be the store of knowledge, insight, and creativit