<story><title>Microsoft blocks Windows 11 workaround that enabled local accounts</title><url>https://www.pcworld.com/article/2354686/microsoft-blocks-windows-11-workaround-local-accounts.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>mrweasel</author><text>Other than being able to gobble up user data and being able to associate it with a person (or at least an email address) and later sell that information, what is Microsoft reasoning for refusing local accounts?&lt;p&gt;This whole obsession with forcing users to create a Microsoft account is really weird. It may provides some features for certain types of users, but I really don&amp;#x27;t see any reason for forcing a Microsoft account. Apple also REALLY want you to have an Apple ID, but you don&amp;#x27;t have to.&lt;p&gt;I still fail to see why Microsoft doesn&amp;#x27;t go all in on privacy, do they really need the extra profit from advertising?&lt;p&gt;Microsoft doesn&amp;#x27;t give a shit about the desktop anymore and at this point they&amp;#x27;re also stopping to care about the business customers, unless they can move them to subscription based services in the cloud.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Brian_K_White</author><text>They can charge a recurring and increasing subscription fee for on-line accounts and services. And of course data.&lt;p&gt;Before they can do that, they first have to get everyone dependant on the on-line account and services, because most would not voluntarily knowingly agree to be charged a subscription just to use their own computer, not intentionally using any external services.&lt;p&gt;So step 1 is do not charge for the basic account combined with force everyone to use it.&lt;p&gt;Most &lt;i&gt;will&lt;/i&gt; go along with this because it&amp;#x27;s free this exact minute and most people follow strictly the path of least immediate resistance. You can make most people do anything you want by just making anything else 0.0001% more difficult. This is not cynical, this is studied.&lt;p&gt;In the olde dayes, if you wanted to sell a subscription service, you created a service and then convinced people to become paying customers.&lt;p&gt;MS is tricking everyone into becoming customers first, and then when the deed is done, inform them they are now paying customers.&lt;p&gt;And of course also data.</text></comment>
<story><title>Microsoft blocks Windows 11 workaround that enabled local accounts</title><url>https://www.pcworld.com/article/2354686/microsoft-blocks-windows-11-workaround-local-accounts.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>mrweasel</author><text>Other than being able to gobble up user data and being able to associate it with a person (or at least an email address) and later sell that information, what is Microsoft reasoning for refusing local accounts?&lt;p&gt;This whole obsession with forcing users to create a Microsoft account is really weird. It may provides some features for certain types of users, but I really don&amp;#x27;t see any reason for forcing a Microsoft account. Apple also REALLY want you to have an Apple ID, but you don&amp;#x27;t have to.&lt;p&gt;I still fail to see why Microsoft doesn&amp;#x27;t go all in on privacy, do they really need the extra profit from advertising?&lt;p&gt;Microsoft doesn&amp;#x27;t give a shit about the desktop anymore and at this point they&amp;#x27;re also stopping to care about the business customers, unless they can move them to subscription based services in the cloud.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>andyferris</author><text>The reasoning is Microsoft is now in the services (as well as advertising) business, with traditionally-licensed desktop software revenue becoming less and less important. Which you kinda stated in the last sentence.&lt;p&gt;The reasoning for not going all in on privacy is because they want to maximise services and advertising revenue, and they also sell to government and enterprise who actually like the ability to spy on their employees. There&amp;#x27;s not much financial incentive or government regulation to make them focus on consumer&amp;#x2F;end-user privacy.</text></comment>