Copying users’ files and deleting some? Even a cartoon hound knows this  isn’t  fine.

Microsoft Hates You, Too

What’s the craic? Taras Buria reports: Windows 11 is now automatically enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

“Shady tricks”
Automatic folder backup in OneDrive is a very useful feature when used properly and when the user deliberately enables it. However, Microsoft decided that sending a few notification prompts to enable folder backup was not enough, so it just turned the feature on without asking anybody or even letting users know.
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Microsoft is no stranger to shady tricks with its software. … Several months ago, we noticed that OneDrive would not let you close it without you explaining the reason first. … A similar thing was also spotted in the Edge browser, with Microsoft asking users why they downloaded Chrome.

The “solution” is to disconnect your Microsoft account from Windows. Jowi Morales has bad news for you: Microsoft Account to local account conversion guide erased from official Windows 11 guide

If you … want to stop sending the company your data, you can still switch to a local account after the fact. Microsoft even has instructions on how to do this on its official support website — or at least it used to. … When Microsoft had these instructions on its support page, it sandwiched them between warnings.
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It’s apparent that Microsoft really wants users to sign up and use their services, much like how Google and Apple make you create an account so you can make full use of your Android or iDevice. … Microsoft wants this option to be inaccessible, at least for the average consumer. … Microsoft really, really wants you to use a Microsoft Account with your Windows 11 PC.

What’s Microsoft’s side of the story? Sean Endicott adds 2+2: Microsoft has removed its guide

The page previously said: “A local account is created on the device and doesn’t require Internet connectivity to sign in. It’s independent of other services, and it’s not connected to the cloud. Your settings, files, and applications are limited to that single device.”
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Those sound like benefits, not drawbacks. … Many argue that Microsoft should add a clear and obvious way to use a local account during the out of box experience.

How did it go down? The OneDrive “upgrade” happened to suby:

This happened to me. I was wondering why my internet speeds were slow when I discovered that Microsoft was in the process of uploading my user directory, they had already uploaded almost two gigs when I realized. They also changed the path to these directories to something like C:\Users\name\OneDrive\Desktop\.
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It’s a pain in the *** to track down the setting, and I shouldn’t have to do this. When I did, it gave me an error for one of the directories and refuses to revert.
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Microsoft … cannot be trusted. [It’s] enraging and unacceptable. … It’s hard to convey without coming off as unhinged.

Unhinged? The Werewolf has no such qualms:

I got hit with this. And since it’s basically invisible, you don’t realise anything has happened until you … max out the free OneDrive. … Then things get really surreal. I was getting messages that my OneDrive account was locked and I would have to pay for a new account. There didn’t seem to be a way to delete files.
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Worse, when I realised what what happening and went [to]] turn off this mapping of Desktop, Documents and Photos to OneDrive, it couldn’t put anything back where it belonged! … Seriously, the OneDrive team really needs to stop and rethink what they’re doing. I know they want to sell more space to users, but this is borderline extortion.

Borderline? It’s worse than that, according to Darinbob:

Worse, files you haven’t used in a long time may get deleted to save space. Which can be a disaster when you disable OneDrive, or don’t have a convenient network connection.
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Microsoft has never had a suitable backup system. They have backup systems, they’re just clumsy. And every release or two they deprecated it and introduced something newer and incompatible. OneDrive is just this iteration’s terrible backup solution.

The OneDrive uninstaller offers to undo all the changes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, according to u/artorothebonk:

For me and one of our other test PCs, [it] broke the File Explorer directory listing so trying to access Documents would crash FE. … Attempting to remove or relocate the Documents shortcut would result in a permissions error. Caused me and a client a major headache a few months back.

But isn’t this just what Apple does with iCloud? No, thinks nicoburns:

While Apple are pushing iCloud harder than they really should, … it’s nowhere near as bad as what Microsoft are doing. With Apple there’s a simple opt-out in the setup wizard, and if you opt-out you stay opted-out (and are only prompted to opt-in once a year with the major OS update).

But why is Microsoft doing this? C:Amie sounds almost impressed:

Millions of users exceeding the 5GB limit, not technical enough to roll it back, most assume the demands for money are necessary to protect against the scarily worded threats. … All users everywhere being forced to provide training data in the Silicon Valley AI training data cold war, all paying Microsoft for the privilege.
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It is a great business practice really.

Meanwhile, where’s the informed consent for this privacy invasion? VeryFluffyBunny has chapter and verse:

But you gave permission. It’s on page 73,571, section 304.5.08, article R.62 of the EULA that you clicked “I agree” on. It’s just before article R.63 that gives Microsoft first dibs on your first-born.

And Finally:

Bit of an acquired taste, this

Hat tip: PhosphorBurnedEyes

Previously in And Finally

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Image sauce: KC Green (cc:by; leveled and cropped)