Microsoft Edge may create automatic tab groups using AI, but using the feature has serious privacy implications.

The main idea behind it is to improve the creation of tab groups for the user. The process is automated when the feature is used, which means that you do not have to create tab groups manually anymore and put tabs into them.

Edge sends information about all open websites to a Microsoft server when the option is selected. The AI processes the request then on the server and returns its suggestions after a moment.

While the automatic tab group creation features of Edge and Chrome look useful, privacy conscious users may want to skip those and create tab groups manually instead.

Having your entire list of open websites submitted to a company server without really knowing what is done with it and how it is stored outweighs the convenience of the feature.

  • throw62341@infosec.pub
    5·
    10 months ago

    I understand the Android/Google Services part, but you wouldn’t be losing much if anything with a just-works Linux distro. I switched to Linux from Windows way before de-googling. Before switching it seems like it’ll be a very hard thing to do. Getting replacements for your Windows programs to run on Linux (you can run Windows programs on Linux with Wine by the way, I even got a Microsoft game running), get used to the whole operating system etc. But it hasn’t been bad for me. I really really recommend just downloading Linux Mint (just a recommendation for coming from Windows. You can get any other just works distro. I started with Debian), putting it on a USB and just testing it out in the live environment. Then if you have a spare hard disk or ssd, you can dualboot it with Windows. That’s how I got into it, I deleted Windows after a few months and used the now free hard disk as an encrypted volume. I haven’t missed Windows at all, and I still do not. I’m glad that I’m not using some closed-source, data collector corporation owned software for my operating system, I hope you have success in this area.!

    • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
      4·
      10 months ago

      i do already dual boot mint cinnamon edition on my computer, whenever i’m curious i’ll try to run a certain application. and most of the time it’ll work just fine.

      i have problems with gaming, mostly. there was a time where fusion360 didn’t work vecause it required edge for login, but i believe it’s been patched.

      i use a Trustmaster T300, a stream deck (which is “compatible”), and play some online games with anticheat. i get that there’s a runtime for battleye and easy anti-cheat alteady, but it’s (to my knowledge) impossible to play fortnite.

      if i ever bought a laptop, i would install linux no problem. but my use case is in the very early stages of even being possible. believe me, i WANT to use linux. i just don’t want to create too much work passing through usb devices to a VM or rebooting just to play beam.ng.

      • throw62341@infosec.pub
        2·
        10 months ago

        Yeah, I think you can’t play online games with kernel-level anticheat on your PC… I remember trying to get valorant to work before I realized that :\ I guess it was easier for me as i didn’t use to play many multiplayer games other than valorant anyway… So, I guess we just have to wait for developers to support Linux.