Microsoft Flips Windows Backup On By Default Outside the EU (theregister.com) 77
Microsoft will turn on Windows settings backup and restore by default for eligible Windows 11 business devices outside the EU, starting with Windows 11 26H2. The Register reports:
Now dubbed "Windows settings backup and restore," the service backs up a device's settings and a list of installed Microsoft Store apps, which can then be restored to a new device. Microsoft gave a use case for the technology: "Imagine a lost laptop, a hardware refresh, or an unexpected reset. These are some of the moments when your users need backup most. And that's rarely when anyone wants to discover that backup was never turned on."
However, some organizations might not want it on. Perhaps those with strict privacy or data sovereignty requirements, or those regulated by the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), for whom the default-on behavior won't apply. Windows 11 25H2 and earlier are also excluded, as is any device with a backup policy that explicitly disables the setting. Everything else running Windows 11 26H1 will get switched on after a feature update, and the same applies to 26H2, currently with Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel.
Administrators might reasonably be wary of this being opt-out rather than opt-in. Backups are useful, but Microsoft is clear that this is not a comprehensive backup solution, calling it only "one step in a broader Windows resiliency effort." The implications still need consideration. An opt-out setting that quietly ships settings data off-device is exactly the sort of thing that adds to administrators' workloads rather than lightening them.
However, some organizations might not want it on. Perhaps those with strict privacy or data sovereignty requirements, or those regulated by the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), for whom the default-on behavior won't apply. Windows 11 25H2 and earlier are also excluded, as is any device with a backup policy that explicitly disables the setting. Everything else running Windows 11 26H1 will get switched on after a feature update, and the same applies to 26H2, currently with Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel.
Administrators might reasonably be wary of this being opt-out rather than opt-in. Backups are useful, but Microsoft is clear that this is not a comprehensive backup solution, calling it only "one step in a broader Windows resiliency effort." The implications still need consideration. An opt-out setting that quietly ships settings data off-device is exactly the sort of thing that adds to administrators' workloads rather than lightening them.
Re:There is no way your data doesn't make it into (Score:5, Informative)
Did you even read TFS? It's a backup of the device settings and a list of installed Microsoft Store apps (which all competing app stores do anyway, otherwise they'd have no way of letting you restore previous purchases). Maybe this data has some marketing value, but they're not using it to train AI models.
Making it opt-in by default is shady, but IIRC, Apple has iOS's iCloud backup on by default (and quickly runs out of space and then nags you to subscribe to a paid tier). So, it's not exactly an unprecedented consumer-hostile behavior.
Re:There is no way your data doesn't make it into (Score:4, Insightful)
but IIRC, Apple has iOS's iCloud backup on by default (and quickly runs out of space and then nags you to subscribe to a paid tier).
DUH. That's the play. They force you into a "service" as an "opt out." Then - oh, the free tier is insufficient. Or the free tier JUST GOES AWAY and then they're holding your computer hostage.
Retardican GOP failed utterly at governance, the government entities that were supposed to be watching out for us and enforcing antitrust law died under Trump. Every Retardican traitor to the Constitution helped cause this shit.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
but IIRC, Apple has iOS's iCloud backup on by default (and quickly runs out of space and then nags you to subscribe to a paid tier).
DUH. That's the play. They force you into a "service" as an "opt out." Then - oh, the free tier is insufficient. Or the free tier JUST GOES AWAY and then they're holding your computer hostage.
Retardican GOP failed utterly at governance, the government entities that were supposed to be watching out for us and enforcing antitrust law died under Trump. Every Retardican traitor to the Constitution helped cause this shit.
Yes it's horrible, they are treating your computer the same way Google, Apple, Samsung, etc treat your phone or tablet. Where they make it easy to replace the hardware while having all your important settings/apps automatically brought over and configured, plus if you keep your data in cloud storage of choice, the hardware becomes very easy to replace without interrupting your life or job. Damn them all, we want it to be hard, where we have to clone hard drives, manually copy data, track down softwarwe in
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DUH. That's the play. They force you into a "service" as an "opt out." Then - oh, the free tier is insufficient. Or the free tier JUST GOES AWAY and then they're holding your computer hostage.
I doubt it. I'd bet it's more of a problem of feature parity with OS X. Even though Windows has backup and restore, it still gets ragged on for not handling device moves or replacements as nicely -- even though the main problem is users and/or app developers not turning it on. I'll bet that first MS offered the feature and left it to users to discover and enable, but hardly anyone did. Then they started nagging people to turn it on, and most still didn't. So now they're turning it on by default.
I saw
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With the latest news that Microsoft used the Windows ID to identify users, one should really wonder if they should have a copy of your settings.
Just no (Score:3)
Security updates due to newly discovered exploits? Yes.
ANYTHING ELSE NO! Do not change my OS from the one I purchased unless and until I explicitly request it.
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Microsoft never bought into the whole "no means no" idea.
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Funny thing, I have never had that happen. I guess the EU fines for Microsoft made an impression here.
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They did not. They think they rule their part of the world. But at least the last few fines from the EU had some impact. I guess users will need to start pretending they are EU residents when they want reasonable Windows security...
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Large companies do not need to know what no means, because their dialogs only have buttons "Yes!" and "Later".
Can Microsoft touch your data inappropriately? (Score:5, Funny)
Yes or Ask Again in Three Days
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Then do not install any updates other than security updates. If you turned on automatic updates and get updated to 26H2, guess what, you requested it. If you manually install 26H2, guess what, you requested it. Get off your high horse.
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Exactly.
But "Oh no, they turned a setting on that doesn't hurt me or have any actual downsides and can be easily turned back off! Waaaah!"
That's all I'm hearing from these chucklefucks.
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Windows 11 doesn't have an option to turn off updates, only postpone them.
The only way to prevent updates is by disabling the service.
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Wrong. That is just the "easy" and "safer" option they show to users. You can disable the entirety of the Windows Update service.
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Indeed. Funny thing, the new and upcoming EU rules for software explicitly require functionality and security updated to be separate. I guess Microsoft will only do this very basic and very critical step for for sane system administration only when forced to.
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Do not change my OS from the one I purchased unless and until I explicitly request it.
Your OS isn't changed. You'll notice nothing different. Your Microsoft account on the other hand is storing a backup.
I get that *you* specifically may not like this, but computers aren't designed for you, or for power users, they are designed for the common moron. The common moron wouldn't know the word backup if you wrote it on the side of a baseball bat and smashed them in the face with it. Opt-out of backups is a GOOD THING.
You're a power user. Use your power and manage your settings. Don't let your inte
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Your OS isn't changed. You'll notice nothing different. Your Microsoft account on the other hand is storing a backup.
Accounts don't do anything. They are just some database entries. Software does something with them. In this case, it's software that exfiltrates your data without getting your explicit permission. An intelligent person would recognize this as malware, which explains why you don't.
You're a power user. Use your power and manage your settings.
You mean this setting which Microsoft is turning on whether it's wanted or not? Suck harder, cuck. There's a prize for you at the end. It's a complete lack of self-respect.
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You mean this setting which Microsoft is turning on whether it's wanted or not?
It's literally an option you as a power user can turn off, that makes perfect sense to have on for those who aren't tech savvy and don't think about backups. All you've done is ignore the point I made and call me and the entire process names. *golfclap* (call back to earlier today when you thought you were being clever, key word: thought).
Jesus Christ I have a low opinion of you but today you're a real mix between trying to be an outright cunt while also looking as ignorant as possible. I don't think you've
Re: Just no (Score:2)
Everything you posted yesterday is stupid and wrong, fuck off
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You can't win.
If they never add or change features, the OS gets stale fast. New a new graphics API to support raytracing? Sorry, wait for the next OS version. Fixed broken behaviour that you were relying on? No! You changed my OS! Didn't fix broken behaviour? No! You shipped buggy crap!
Release a new OS every year to compensate? No! I want a stable OS that is supposed for 10+ years (Windows standard support lifetime).
Switch to Linux? "Long Term Support" that is only 5 years and doesn't actually fix broken st
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It sucks but nobody has come up with a better solution yet.
I'd posit that variety is the solution that fixed this already. In the Linux ecosystem, you can pick a distro that behaves as you'd like, or even linuxfromscratch it and make it exactly as you'd like. That also highlights the issue here - Microsoft can't or won't support all the administration levels that all the people want.
IMHO, this particular item is something that should have been rolled out differently to Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. For commenters above that claim OS's aren't for us
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DLC and versions. It's still a treadmill for the consumer, but it's an honest one.
A la carte; new features can be sold. Every year you bundle them into the new base version... doesn't affect people with the old version who don't pay.
Every decade you set a new baseline and stop releasing DLC for your old version. Or every five years or whatever.
The point is, the subscription model isn't there for you, it's there for them. The new features aren't there for you, they are there to justify the subscription
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Might be for fingerprinting (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Might be for fingerprinting (Score:5, Informative)
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A user that logs into Windows with an organizational account does not have a Microsoft user account. The backup data itself is stored in the enterprise's domain, and the feature does not support cross-tenant migration. Cloud PCs are also not yet supported.
All this "backup" tool does is enumerate the installed programs that came from the Microsoft store so provisioning a new computer or creating a new profile on an existing computer offers the user the option of installing the previous set of listed program
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Indeed. This is all for profiling and data-harvesting. The anti-fingerprinting option these days is to not run Windows.
Linux, for example, does not phone home at all and if you do not like the system ID (/etc/machine-id) you can change it at every boot. Incidentally, this seems to be yet another bad idea in systemd, none of my none-systemd Linux installations even have that file. Obviously, systems can still be identified by things like network MAC addresses, but the important thing is that Linux installati
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This could be actually intended to be used for user fingerprinting.
What fingerprinting? This is like secretly stealing someone's glass to lift a print from them after they've already formally volunteered their fingerprints to you on a dedicated fingerprint scanner.
Why would Microsoft have even the remotest interest in fingerprinting you via your settings when they already have unique device IDs tied directly to your account and window license?
government repository (Score:2)
Just what someone wielding search warrants (or not) needs, a giant pot of data to dig through. It's not a dragnet it's a query, pinky swear.
Re:government repository (Score:4, Informative)
Not sure what naughty stuff you have in your Windows registry or what illegal Windows Apps you downloaded from the Microsoft store are. But they already have your device guid tied to IP addresses [slashdot.org] and people who are saving their "documents" to OneDrive via "free storage" when signing in with a Microsoft account, which are both the more valuable data for law enforcement.
Since there's not really much more mineable data than what they already have, the value add for them is more likely just keeping people tied into the ecosystem and wanting to use those Microsoft Accounts.
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What exactly are the "settings" that get backed up? Does that mean a User's AppData directory? That usually includes say an Outlook PST or OST with all of your email for example. Windows puts your private info in lots of places, combined with the things you mention and there is a lot to see.
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... and people who are saving their "documents" to OneDrive via "free storage" when signing in with a Microsoft account, ...
Just want to throw this out there for anyone that has such an account but doesn't want Microsoft to see their data...
You can use rclone (https://rclone.org/crypt/) with an encryption layer over One Drive. This works on Windows, Linux, Chromebooks, Macs ... probably lots more. It can encrypt file names and file contents. Use that free space!
Opt-in vs opt-out (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure they've covered themselves from liability deep in a click-through EULA somewhere, though.
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Note that they've split this into about a dozen different settings which all have to be turned off. So that's a dozen things I have to change on four or five different PCs to disable this new "feature" which I'm sure wasn't added to steal my data, honest guv.
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And at any point MS can just turn it back on during an update.
That won't be a real problem for you though, since your personal files probably aren't stored on C. I bet most users here put everything on a second drive (or partition) and leave the first to Windows and software. They also use File History or a high-quality third-party backup program and check on it semi-regularly. They also don't use Edge, nor have much interest in what's on the Microsoft store. They also have a unique password for their Micro
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Yes. Probably the reason why this is off in the EU: MS does not want another high fine for criminal behavior.
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Opt-out is exfiltration.
Microsoft's telemetry already collects information about how people use the software, what is installed from Microsoft store, and how settings are applied on devices.
There's nothing here that is exfiltrated. The only thing people are opting in or out of is recovery based on data that Microsoft already has.
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Opt-out is exfiltration.
Microsoft's telemetry already collects information about how people use the software, what is installed from Microsoft store, and how settings are applied on devices.
This is about copying their files, wholesale, which is obviously still more data than that. You don't seem to understand the difference between less than, equal to, and more than. How do you function? Why have you written so many obviously batshit insane comments in the last 24 hours? Every comment I've read on multiple discussions this morning which has made me say "what the fuck is this clown on about" has been by you.
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This is about copying their files, wholesale
Literally no one here including TFA is talking about copying files here you quarter witted moron. That's not what this feature does in the slightest. Go to bed. Get some rest. God fucking damn you need it. Hopefully your brain is partially functioning tomorrow.
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Literally no one here including TFA is talking about copying files here you quarter witted moron. That's not what this feature does in the slightest.
Backup doesn't copy files? The subject of this story isn't "Microsoft Flips Windows Backup On"? Are you just going to be the dumbest fuck on Slashdot every day now, instead of just every other day?
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The judges saying that a company could force a contract, with untold numbers of pages filled with a legalese on a small (they were all small when this started) screen, should have had their opinions legally drawn and quartered for utter stupidity. You want people to sign a contract? Not like most will read it anyway, but get out the paper and make them sign it. I can think of
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This is disgusting (Score:2)
Microsoft has gone way too far.
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Experience and history shows that organizations always go too far unless carefully monitored and stopped. It is no accident that MS does not do this crap in the EU and likely some countries with specific laws outside of the EU. They go as far as they are allowed to, they have no restraint of their own and certainly no morality or anthing.
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People don't get all twisted up about it when Apple does the exact same thing.
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And then somebody blind shambles in and claims there is no problem ...
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At this rate, it'll end up working like an Apple device!
Seems to be off with local account as well (Score:2)
Or rather the "Backup & Restore" options are not even there. Makes sense, no one-drive. This is yet another reason to configure a local account. It prevents the MS corporate assholes from pushing their choices on you.
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Or rather the "Backup & Restore" options are not even there. Makes sense, no one-drive. This is yet another reason to configure a local account. It prevents the MS corporate assholes from pushing their choices on you.
Yup. Then you get casually reminded in big scary words that not having a Microsoft account makes your system vulnerable to everything from dust bunnies to sky fairies in terms meant to scare the casual user into turning on all that cloud stuff to prevent spontaneous combustion. I'm being hyperbolic of course, but not nearly as hyperbolic as I wish I was being.
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I do think there were some reminders of that, which I totally ignored. After several failed tries with Windows-tools, I now make image backups of Windows installations with Linux boot-sticks.
for eligible Windows 11 business devices (Score:2)
How can I become ineligible>
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ONE DOES SIMPLY
(aragorn.gif)
NOT USE MS STORE APPS
I N V E R T (Score:2)
Well, of course they're going to set defaults by what profits them. Long gone is any consideration of what users might want.
Me, I just invert any default I'm not sure I want. Every last one. Works great when I'm in a hurry.
settings and policies (Score:2)
"An opt-out setting that quietly ships settings data off-device is exactly the sort of thing that adds to administrators' workloads rather than lightening them."
Fine, but there's *tons* of them. This is a drip in an ocean. The opposite, settings you need to turn on are also fucking huge depending on the corperate environment it's used in. I mean, fiddling over one setting on a product with a user base as huge and diverse as Windows is nitpicking imo.
Places that have to deal with this are setup to be proacti
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... The opposite, settings you need to turn on are also fucking huge depending on the corperate environment it's used in.
But this CLEARLY does not NEED to be turned on, so why default it to on?!?
If they're defaulting some settings to off that really should default to on, that's also an issue! That doesn't excuse this behavior.
Organisations? (Score:2)
This change doesn't affect any competent organisation. Defaults don't matter in an organisation. If your system administrators aren't defining everything individually through group policy, fire them and hire some competent people.
Sure the home user doesn't check settings, but then they also aren't literally being paid to do so as part of their job.
Is it "everyone" or only Enterprise users?!?!? (Score:2)
Title says "by default unless you're in the EU", subtitle says "Everyone else must opt out manually if they don't fancy settings data shipped off-device" but then the content says "Windows Backup for Organizations" (whatever that is) and "Administrators" and "organizations" and so on. Which is it?
"Windows settings backup and restore" ? (Score:3)
I cannot find that in my settings. :)
Maybe I should report it to the developers of XFCE as a bug.
Don't use a Microsoft account (Score:3)
This is why you use a local login, instead of a Microsoft account.
Microsoft has been making this more and more difficult, but I think that, after setup, one can create a local login and then remove the Microsoft account.
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This is why you use a local login, instead of a Microsoft account.
So you can not have a backup of your settings and need to manually re-setup your system on a fresh install?
I'm not sure what point you think you're making here, but god damn reading your post is likely to make people want to use a Microsoft account.
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I wouldn't mind an easy way to export settings to a single file that could be backed up where and how I want. But why should I need an MS account to do that?
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If you are OK with Microsoft backing up this information without your explicit permission, then fine, use a Microsoft account. I just pointed out how to avoid this backup (although you will be nagged to set up backups).
I assume that this backup will also include the GUID that was discussed a day or two ago, so even re-installing Windows won't eliminate this tracking.
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Only way to skip the MS account at that point is to first hit "back" twice, where it then offers the "s
All your data belong to Slop (Score:2)