Microsoft tracking users via Windows device IDs

The thread on Microsoft tracking users via a Windows device ID landed without much comment volume in the data provided, but its presence on the front page alongside the Xbox layoffs and general Microsoft criticism signals a consistent theme: Microsoft's relationship with its users is under active scrutiny. The device ID tracking story fits a pattern where default telemetry and tracking in commercial operating systems is getting more attention as privacy concerns grow.

This connects to the broader set of threads about FOSS alternatives gaining traction. OpenWrt One for routing, CoMaps for offline maps, and Linux on the Atari Jaguar (admittedly more hobby than practical) all reflect the same underlying preference: control over your own hardware and data, without a vendor watching.

The EU context is relevant here too. Europe's dependence on US vendors for web infrastructure was a separate thread, and the tension between that dependence and European data sovereignty concerns is a recurring structural problem that does not have an easy resolution.