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Microsoft's official "Bing Wallpaper app" does some nasty, malware-like things to Windows (www.techspot.com)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

68 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The app automatically installs Bing Visual Search and includes code to decrypt cookies saved in other browsers, Rivera said, and it also brings a "free" geolocation web API to the system.

The developer discovered "many" nasty tricks Microsoft integrated in Bing Wallpapers, which include trying to change the browser's settings and set Edge as the default system browser. If the default browser isn't Edge, the app will open the default browser after some time asking to enable the previously installed Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome extension.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

While scummy indeed, if you need a desktop application to get yourself new wallpapers, my sympathy only goes so far.

Also not at all surprised the top comment speaks of Linux.

Linux, hating Musk, and Star Trek: the Lemmy trifecta.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I only hate Musk and love Star Trek. Does that mean I’m not a true Lemmy?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

Those are rookie numbers. You gotta pump those numbers up.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 hours ago

I'm always surprised at how devious this windows spyware is. 99% of people would probably just accept to share all their data but that's not good enough; MS has to try and squeeze out every last drop.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Time to break up Microsoft

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Best time was a decade ago. Second best time is now. Same with Google, and Apple, auto companies and grocery companies. And...and...and. it's almost as the free market DOESN'T solve issues it creates them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Oh, free markets can solve these problems, but we don't have a free market. These big companies don't win because they're the best, they win because they buy the marketshare bribe companies to only support their platforms.

ISPs are a fantastic example here. Starting a new ISP is prohibitively expensive, not because of the physical materials you need, but the permits (which the ISPs lobbied for) and lawsuits w/ existing ISPs. In a proper free market, we'd have a lot more selection than we do.

What you call "free market" I call "crony-capitalism." In a free market, monopolies only stay monopolies if they continue to be better than the alternatives. In a crony-capitalist market, monopolies continue if they can make enough barriers to prevent competition.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Why would you download bing wallpaper app anyways? First rule of computers: only install from trusted sources

[–] [email protected] 51 points 19 hours ago

Most average users consider Microsoft a trusted source, that's the root cause of a whole lot of crap.

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