PSA Newsletter 30: Privacy, Security, Automation!
Microsoft Enabling OneDrive AI Face Scanning, Spy vs. Spy Text Message Edition, and Guidance on Windows 11...
Privacy
Microsoft has enabled AI face detection in the new OneDrive mobile app for a limited set of users and made the feature opt-out by default. According to the Slashdot editor who discovered the setting, Microsoft allows this setting to be turned off three times per year. However, when pressed for details, Microsoft's publicist chose not to answer further questions. This is yet another instance of Microsoft disregarding user privacy and autonomy in pursuit of a larger AI-focused strategy. As with their other recent product decisions, it's doubtful that this setting will become opt-in by default or limited in deployment. Expect to see AI face scanning for every OneDrive account by default in the future. If you must use or have OneDrive on your mobile device, do not give it permission to access your photo library, unless you are comfortable with your photos being uploaded to and scanned by Microsoft. [1]
Security
There is a cat-and-mouse game happening between SMS scammers and telecom providers, with the average person getting caught in the middle. Scammers are using ever more sophisticated tools to send out scam texts en masse to the public, in the hopes of baiting someone into a tech scam where they could lose tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you've received an E-ZPass text from a number outside of your country recently, it was most likely due to the use of one of these tools. To counter this growing threat, telecom providers have increased their scanning and blocking of scam SMS messages. However, this solution also presents a problem, as it illustrates the fact that systemic monitoring and censoring of SMS messages is not just possible, but actively being used in the current day. The privacy and security implications of this are huge, to say the least. This revelation should also serve as a reminder to NEVER communicate anything sensitive over text message and to use an End-to-End Encrypted messenger such as Signal or iMessage for relaying important information. [2]
Autonomy
As of October 12th, 2025, I no longer recommend Windows 11 for home users, unless needed for a specific application, and only after evaluating all other options. It has become increasingly clear for some time that Microsoft is no longer in the business of empowering everyday people to use computers as they see fit. Instead, Microsoft has made it difficult, if not impossible, to purchase and use their newest operating system, Windows 11 and the Office suite without signing up for a Microsoft account. Once these accounts are created, Microsoft further ensnares its customers by making controversial features (such as automatically saving documents to OneDrive and automatically scanning photos with AI models) opt-out instead of opt-in. In furtherance of its goal to completely remove autonomy from end users, Microsoft has closed a popular loophole, albeit thankfully not the last, that allows users to set up a Windows 11 computer without requiring an active internet connection and a Microsoft account.
It is for these reasons and others that I can no longer recommend Windows 11 PC's as a first choice for home users. When advising future options for clients, family, and friends, Windows 11 PC's will now be reserved for cases where no other option exists. When looking for a new computing device, I recommend Apple devices for average end users, then Linux-capable devices for advanced or PC-only users. With the release of iPadOS 26 and the strides Linux has made on the desktop, I believe the days of relying on Microsoft for budget-friendly non-enterprise computers may finally be over. [3] [4]
Sources:
- [1] Slashdot: Microsoft's OneDrive Begins Testing Face-Recognizing AI for Photos (for Some Preview Users)
- [2] Wired: Cybercriminals Have a Weird New Way to Target You With Scam Texts
- [3] The Register: No account? No Windows 11, Microsoft says as another loophole snaps shut
- [4] Wired: The 5 Best Laptops for Linux (I Install It on Every Laptop I Test)
