Is Microsoft Pushing Windows 11 Into Malware Territory?

The Not So Fine Line Between Innovative And Intrusive

There are a lot of people getting frustrated with the direction Microsoft has taken with Windows 11, not that Redmond seems to care at all.  The features they’ve been adding are more of a distraction, as anyone who accidentally let their mouse roam to the bottom right of their screen and triggered the horrific pop-up Widget board.  The default to have multiple desktops will drive you nuts if you simply just wanted to move a window towards the top of your screen and do we really need a live stock ticker?  At some point Microsoft decided you would rather use the search function in Windows 11 to browse the web, not your computer and that the lock screen was barren without advertisements for other Microsoft services.

This doesn’t even begin to delve into the monstrosity that is Copilot Vision and Recall which many people, including writers at The Register, consider the final straw that pushed Windows 11 into malware territory.  That might be a bit extreme, but not unwarranted, as the recent behaviour of the operating system is indistinguishable from malware apart from the fact you pay for the privilege.

Venting your spleen over Microsoft’s recent decisions might feel nice, but unfortunately it falls on deaf ears. What can help are some tips and tricks to disable the most egregious examples of Microsoft’s advertising fetish.  You can find a collection of those tips here, though the chances are Microsoft will soon remove these options to ensure you get their ‘full Windows 11 experience’.