A recent Beta / Dev channel testing build of Windows 11 update is showing some unthinkable but unavoidable feature that may be part of future Windows 11 updates. Fans and Windows users (including me) are in general furious to learn that Microsoft is planning to walk Facebook or Google way.
One twitter post sums it up all, making everyone’s fear a reality.
Apparently, the Windows File Manager or File explorer as it is called is showing a subtle advert right on top. Just like how you may see in Google Search pages or in many mobile apps.
Microsoft in a statement released to media has pointed out that although it is true but they had no intension of releasing to the public and this feature was for their internal testing only. Somehow the code ended up in Public Beta / Dev channel release of the Windows 11 build.
This the not new, nothing surprising here since Microsoft is showing ads since Windows 10 days. Although those ads were limited to Microsoft products only and that too very must relatable to Windows. People didn’t take notice back then and it slipped thought the cracks.
Windows is a paid product and people expects not to see ads on something they pay for. Plus, allowing ads will lead to another massive problem with modern online internet advertisement techniques, privacy issues, since modern ads are targeted ads, tailored for individual users and they are fully data driven. This data is collected from individual users leading to massive privacy issues.
For comparison, Microsoft Windows’s biggest competitor, Apple MacOS is going the exact opposite way. Apple not only avoids user data collection and follows no ads policy, but they also actively restricts and forces 3rd party software to do the same in their OS platform.
