Digital privacy and who we trust with it

As the lines between our personal and digital lives increasingly blur, many would rightfully have concerns regarding their privacy and who we can trust with our information. 

For the vast majority of people some of our most sensitive information is stored on a personal computer (PC), which is most likely running a copy of Microsoft Windows installed as the operating system (OS).

Microsoft for decades now has not only had a monopoly on affordable machines but essentially innovated the very concept of the PC – this long-standing reputation has made all of us comfortable and trusting of Microsoft’s corporate decision making, which, unfortunately, had its consequences.

Recently, Microsoft’s latest OS, Windows 11, has been accused of falling under the definition of spyware, a type of program that, as the name implies, secretly spies on and harvests user data. It was found that, prior to even connecting to the internet, your data is being sent to not only Microsoft but third-party servers. While these practices are technically disclosed, they are buried within dense End User License Agreements (EULAs) that effectively bypass informed consent. When something like this operates at such a deep level in your machine, there is virtually nothing you can do and are at the mercy of your OS provider

So what can you realistically do? Well the most obvious answer is to switch from Windows to something else, but what?

MacOS – Apple’s own operating system is usually what comes to mind but not only are Apple products unaffordable for most of us, but similar to Microsoft albeit to a lesser extent, Apple collects data, but only for itself and doesn’t send it to unknown third parties (mostly) – additionally the library of software at your disposal compared to Windows is noticeably smaller.

The third option is utilising Linux, a free and open source operating system that is vastly more secure and less intrusive than the former two, and although that might sound splendid there’s huge drawbacks to be mentioned.

Firstly, because Linux is open source and not under the complete control of a company, if you run into technical issues there’s virtually no support outside of search results and even then there’s a good chance your problem might be the first of its kind. In other words, you can’t just call or text a service line for help, you have to be entirely responsible for your own machine. Secondly, a lot of software is not natively compatible with Linux. There are ways to work around this issue but this would require technical knowledge, which a lot of us just might not have.

Ultimately, it’s down to what you value most, Windows remains the most used and supported OS in the world: companies, people, businesses all use and rely on Windows; however, is it worth feeling like Microsoft is constantly watching over you?

If you think not, then maybe Linux is better suited for you but be ready to be entirely responsible for your own device. Alternatively, you can always put your full faith in Apple.

Image Credit: The Inc Magazine