Another day, another attempt by Microsoft to extract as much revenue as possible from Office users:

"Microsoft has quietly launched a new version of Microsoft Office for Windows that can be used to edit documents for free, no Microsoft 365 subscription or Office license key required. This free version of Office is based on the full desktop apps, but has most features locked behind the Microsoft 365 subscription.

First spotted by Beebom, the free version of Office for Windows includes ads that are permanently on screen when within a document in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Additionally, this new free version of Office also only allows you to save files to OneDrive, meaning no support for editing local files.

To access the free version of Office, just skip the prompt to sign-in when you first run an Office app. From there, you will be given the choice to continue to use Office for free in exchange for ads and limited features. In this mode, you can open, view, and even edit documents, just like you can with the web version of Office."

https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/office-365/microsoft-quietly-launches-free-ad-supported-version-of-office-apps-for-windows-with-limited-functionality

#Microsoft #AdTech #Advertising #Surveillance #AdTargeting #AdTracking #MSOffice

"A global spy tool exposed the locations of billions of people to anyone willing to pay. A Catholic group bought location data about gay dating app users in an effort to out gay priests. A location data broker sold lists of people who attended political protests.

What do these privacy violations have in common? They share a source of data that’s shockingly pervasive and unregulated: the technology powering nearly every ad you see online.

Each time you see a targeted ad, your personal information is exposed to thousands of advertisers and data brokers through a process called “real-time bidding” (RTB). This process does more than deliver ads—it fuels government surveillance, poses national security risks, and gives data brokers easy access to your online activity. RTB might be the most privacy-invasive surveillance system that you’ve never heard of."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/online-behavioral-ads-fuel-surveillance-industry-heres-how

#Privacy #Surveillance #CyberSecurity #AdTargeting #DataProtection #DataBrokers #DataBrokerage #RTB

"A leading political data company is selling a voter database that identifies Americans based on their support for right-wing militias, the QAnon conspiracy theory and the January 6 insurrection — a new twist in campaign technology that some experts think could carry national security risks.

The company, L2 Data, collects a wide net of information about voter preferences on issues such as defense, spending and the economy. But unlike other data companies, L2 also measures or estimates voters’ support for the most divisive and potentially threatening threads of the extreme right.

L2 says it developed its dataset by surveying some voters and then extrapolating the probable views of a wider group with similar preferences and behavior from voter records and consumer habits.

Those predictions are part of a larger dataset that included a broad range of views held by both the right and left, on issues such as climate change, race and civil liberties.

The firm sells that broad set of information to a range of politicians and parties: Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), and PACs for both Democrats and Republicans have bought its data, according to FEC filings."

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/30/data-voters-political-violence-00186132

#USA #Politics #Elections #PresidentialElection2024 #FarRight #DataBrokers #AdTech #AdTargeting

#EU #Pinterest #SocialMedia #AdTech #AdTargeting #DataProtection "Today, noyb filed a complaint against the social media platform Pinterest. Most users probably know it as a visual mood board and use it to find ideas and inspiration. Advertisers, on the other hand, use the platform to push their products on consumers. Unsurprisingly, Pinterest’s business model is also based on personalised advertising and the associated user tracking. The problem: Despite a CJEU ruling prohibiting this practice, the platform uses people’s personal data without asking for their consent. Pinterest falsely claims to have a “legitimate interest” and enables tracking by default. Most other websites have abandoned this legally flawed argument years ago."

https://noyb.eu/en/heres-idea-pinterest-ask-users-their-consent-tracking-them

#EU #CJEU #Meta #Facebook #DataProtection #AdTech #AdTargeting: "In today's ruling in C-446/21 (Schrems v. Meta), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has fully backed a lawsuit brought against Meta, over its Facebook service. The Court decided on two questions: First, massively limiting the use of personal data for online advertisements. Secondly, limiting the use of publicly available personal data to the originally intended purposes for publication."

https://noyb.eu/en/cjeu-meta-must-minimise-use-personal-data-ads