[FullRangeMan]

More bad news from MS, after Cortana was been withdrawn due to low user acceptance, MS modified it and added AI and other ''facilities'' to slow down your computer to you buy a new one.

Now it was renamed to Co-pilot to W11 and to W10 it was just released in 30Nov2023 hide in the 22H2 Build 19045.3754 (KB5032278) update. It is associated to Bing, Edge, Microsoft 365 etc and will have a icon on the task bar right side.

This update will be forced, if you don't accept the 22H2 Build 19045.3754 KB5032278, it will be done by MS through Update Service masked as W-Defender KB2267602 (xxx) in various parts installments.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/november-30-2023-kb5032278-os-build-19045-3758-preview-0ae14f06-577e-4eb3-8fcb-c722f3f9dc29

[newzooreview]

It's a data harvesting subsystem. It gathers and tracks your location, e-mail text, voice, calendar, contacts: everything. There is some security theatre about "privacy," but you cannot stop it from exfiltrating your personal information entirely.

This is like the very early days of drawing apps, where you used Microsoft Paint if you had a Windows machine or MacPaint if you had an Apple computer. Then Adobe, Canvas, and many others came along, and nobody thinks of a drawing app as something tied to the operating system.

This fact won't stop Microsoft from trying to condition people to think that the AI is the operating system to brainwash them into sticking with Windows computers.

[Yog Sothoth]

Linux

[WGH]

It's a data harvesting subsystem. It gathers and tracks your location, e-mail text, voice, calendar, contacts: everything.

Um, just like your...

smartphone
music streaming service
smart TV
Alexa
internet browser
email app
Google
Amazon
license plate readers on stop lights
facial recognition software
credit cards
Safeway discount app
Ace Hardware rewards

your new car:
Security News This Week: Your New Car Is a Privacy Nightmare

How Your New Car Tracks You - Vehicles from Toyota, Honda, Ford, and more can collect huge volumes of data. Here’s what the companies can access.

And probably more that I can't think of.


That's why I drive a 1977 Jeep Wagoneer with Anti Photo/Radar license plate cover, don't own a cell phone, pay everything in cash, live in the middle of the desert, use public computers with Tor browser and wear a balaclava whenever I go out or drive - and I don't look suspicious at all...

[I.Greyhound Fan]

That's why I drive a 1977 Jeep Wagoneer with Anti Photo/Radar license plate cover, don't own a cell phone, pay everything in cash, live in the middle of the desert, use public computers with Tor browser and wear a balaclava whenever I go out or drive - and I don't look suspicious at all...

Love it

[newzooreview]

Your point being?

[nlitworld]

More bad news from MS, after Cortana was been withdrawn due to low user acceptance, MS modified it and added AI and other ''facilities'' to slow down your computer to you buy a new one.

That explains a lot since the newest update seems to have slowed down all my w10 pcs. Oh the joy of planned (forced) obsolescence.

[WGH]

Your point being?

Everything I listed collects far more data than Windows. If one was concerned with data harvesting then Windows would be way down on my list. But at least there is a solution to Windows, the others, not so much.

1.) Stop using Windows or
2.) Use a VPN, I like CyberGhost.

If Microsoft was tracking me then the cyberpolice would have been at my door 10 years ago. And speaking of cyberpolice, this months Wired magazine has a terrific in depth article about three young hackers and the Mirai virus they created got loose and broke the internet. Excellent reporting! Buy the Wired Dec 2023/Jan 2024 issue if the article is behind their subscription firewall.

The Mirai Confessions: Three Young Hackers Who Built a Web-Killing Monster Finally Tell Their Story
Netflix, Spotify, Twitter, PayPal, Slack. All down for millions of people. How a group of teen friends plunged into an underworld of cybercrime and broke the internet—then went to work for the FBI.
https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-untold-story-three-young-hackers-web-killing-monster/

"When Krebs tweeted that his website had been hit with “the largest DDoS the internet has ever seen,” he was almost right. Mirai had actually struck the French internet provider OVH around the same time with an attack that had reached the even more shocking volume of a terabit per second. The botnet’s hundreds of thousands of hacked devices had also quietly KO’d a web-hosting firm and a Minecraft service in August with attacks that were nearly as large but had gone mostly unnoticed by the security world."


Back to the OP's concern...

I haven't noticed any slowdown with Copilot and without a camera or microphone in my desktop computer recording me would be a problem although I still get emails from friendly hackers saying they did just that.

Looks like Copilot uses Microsoft Edge with Bing Chat. CPU usage: Edge Off 1%-2%CPU; Edge ON 1%-2%CPU
I never use Edge so it hangs out doing nothing like the other programs not being used like Paint Shop Pro, Netflix, Chrome, VLC media Player, Microsoft Word, you get the idea.
Think Windows is slow now? Just wait for Windows 24H2 update in the second quarter next year.
A clean fresh install would probably fix all the slowdown issues, with all the updates since 2015 (8 years!) there is a lot of old, unused code mucking up the works.

I did use another AI bot to plan a recent road trip and it came up with some suggestions I didn't know about. My friends suggestions were a lot better so the AI programs have a ways to go.

[newzooreview]

Everything I listed collects far more data than Windows.

That's a lie, and a fairly obvious one.

the cyberpolice

What, pray tell, are "the cyberpolice"?

And what do DDoS attacks have to with the Windows privacy violations under discussion?

Back to the OP's concern...

Well, that would be a welcome turn of events.

It's quite reasonable to expect that Microsoft adding a stack of new processes will slow down the machine. The way you measure that, however, is not one guy saying, "seems fine to me."

A quick read through the Copilot privacy page turns up this gem "If Edge is open and is in the foreground, Copilot in Windows includes the URL even if you’ve chosen not to allow Copilot in Windows to use the Edge page content."

So, even if you think you've told Microsoft not to look at what sites you visit, they are going to spy on the sites that you visit. And that's just the stuff they openly admit.

[FullRangeMan]

2.) Use a VPN, I like CyberGhost.

None VPN offer privacy, they just changes the #IP.
What they offer is a private (not public) connection.

[WGH]

Even though Windows 11 is free, many users are stuck using Windows 10 for various reasons. An older computer without a TPM chip will be a stumbling block for years. Software that won't run on Win 11 is another reason. Loss of privacy, either real or imagined is also a concern of many.

For now, Copilot is still in Beta and can be disabled:

December updates will begin Microsoft’s process of dribbling out Windows Copilot
https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/ms-defcon-2-copilot-for-christmas/

"I’m not sure I understand why Copilot needed to be so deeply embedded in Windows, at least right now. It’s obvious that putting the guts of AI support into the operating system is inevitable, because Microsoft’s apps are rapidly evolving to include Copilot.

"However, Microsoft’s icon for Copilot still includes the “PRE” badge, which in effect signals that we’re all still beta testers for a Copilot preview. Besides, with your Microsoft account and Edge, you can play around with Copilot at low risk. Even that generates some uncertainty, because I’ve seen Copilot in Bing deliver wrong answers.

"Maybe the bugs should be worked out before Copilot is welded permanently to Windows.

"Here are a few general things to keep in mind about Copilot.

    Copilot is Microsoft’s chatbot that you can use to ask questions.
    Copilot is going to be dribbled out to any unmanaged Windows 10 or 11 machine first. Microsoft defines “unmanaged” as any PC not controlled by corporate patching tools such as WSUS, Intune, or third-party patching platforms. In short, if you rely on Windows Update and are in North America, you will be offered Copilot soon — if you haven’t already.
    If you are a user with Windows 10 or 11 Home editions, you can disable the Copilot Taskbar icon in Settings or via the Registry. You cannot uninstall it, nor can you use a third-party tool to uninstall it. You can just ignore it, or you can right-click the Taskbar and uncheck Show Copilot (preview) button.
    I personally prefer the registry key method to proactively disable Copilot. All the information about this is available in my recent Knowledge Base post Blocking Copilot in Windows 10 and 11 Home sku.
    If you have Windows 10 professional in a home or standalone setting, you can use local group policy to turn off Copilot. But the ability to turn it off becomes available only with the December updates, a bit of a Catch-22. Therefore, I don’t recommend installing ADML or ADMX files onto your computer manually. Instead, let Microsoft install its policy updates, then manually adjust them later.

"If you have multiple displays, the Copilot preview may not be offered to you. There is currently a bug that causes desktop icons to move unexpectedly between displays or causes other icon-alignment issues. I’m not yet aware of a resolution for this problem."

Read more at the link above.


Info to enable/disable Copilot in Windows
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/9000001-blocking-copilot-in-windows-10-and-11-home-sku/


As I previously mentioned, a fresh install of either Windows 10 or 11 usually fixes slowdowns and bugs. The free download of the Windows .iso includes all the current updates and patches.
But there is a new wrinkle, Microsoft changed the download page. It now offers only the latest versions of Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 10 22H2 which includes Copilot.
Quite a pickle, live with a slow computer or work on a faster computer with Copilot.

The article below should help:

How to do a Windows 10 & 11 repair install
https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/free-edition-how-to-do-a-windows-11-repair-install/

Not to worry — you can use registry keys and group policy to disable Copilot for Windows.

[FullRangeMan]

Disable Co-Pilot W-10 from Group Policy
    Open Start.
    Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.
    Open the following path:
    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot
    Double-click the “Turn off Windows Copilot” policy.
Apply / OK /  Restart Computer

===================================
Disable Copilot from Registry  Windows 10
    Open Start.
    Search regedit and click the top result to open the Registry Editor.
    Open the following path:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
    Right-click the Windows key, select New, and choose the Key option.
Apply / OK /  Restart Computer

[FullRangeMan]

This update will be forced, if you don't accept the 22H2 Build 19045.3754 KB5032278, it will be done by MS through Update Service masked as W-Defender KB2267602 (xxx) in various parts installments.

Updates are blocked on my PC but I just received this unsolicited download, its another step of the November Cumulative Update Preview 22H2 KB5032278 update masked as W-Defender Antivirus.
Security Intelligence Update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus - KB2267602 (Version 1.403.366.0) - Current Channel (Broad)

[newzooreview]

Hopefully, the Department of Justice will investigate this latest Microsoft atrocity.

It was only in June that they caught Microsoft violating federal law by spying on children:

The Justice Department, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced today that the United States has resolved a case against Microsoft Corp. regarding its practices for collecting and retaining personal information from children…

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/microsoft-agrees-pay-20-million-civil-penalty-alleged-violations-children-s-privacy-laws

[FullRangeMan]

As expected the W10-Copilot forced update arrived

[karaokeroanoke]

I actually used Cortana quite a bit when she was out since hell, like I could stop em from tracking me I'm too late to do something about that already.
I just want them to fix the search bar to actually stop searching the web without me having to go mess with regedit stuff