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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 23 - 28 DECEMBER, 2024
Hello and Welcome,
President's Message 2024
Hi everyone,
We had a good time at our end-of-year party, and the committee and I wish you all a pleasant and restful holiday period.
The demise of Windows 10 support will occur in October next year. For me, that means four laptops and my desktop will be unsupported.
Our club thrived on the motto "Users Helping Users". We hope to see some of that next year as we meet these challenges.
Our first meeting next year is our Main Meeting on the 4th of February, and we hope to see you all next year.
Stephen South
President
Sydney PC and Technology User Group.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our MEMBERS
Subject: Wishing You a Merry Christmas!
Dear Sydney Computer Club,
As the festive season approaches, we wanted to extend our warmest wishes to all members of the Sydney Computer Club. May your Christmas be filled with joy, laughter, and wonderful memories.
Thank you for being such an incredible community. Here's to a season of celebration and a New Year filled with exciting tech adventures!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Best regards, Newsletter Ed., via COPILOT.
Meeting TODAY
NO MEETING
2024/12/21 — 14:00-16:00 — December, Sat — Web Design [ Too close to Christmas — Ed. ]
Meetings This Week
NO MEETINGS
Meetings Next Week
NO MEETINGS
Happy 40-th Birthday
This year we celebrated our Club's 40th Anniversary.
— Steve South, President.
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
Third Tuesday 10:00-12:00 — Tuesday Group
Third Saturday 14:00-16:00 — Web Design
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Go to the official Sydney PC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
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ASCCA News:Tech News:
Are Your Word Documents Being Used to Train AI?
See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on December 11, 2024, at 01:12 pm EST.
Microsoft
Microsoft has denied using content from Word and Excel documents to train artificial intelligence models without permission. While there's some fear-mongering, the problem seems to be a blanket declaration in its company-wide privacy statement.
The controversy involves Connected Experiences, a long-standing Office feature that connects to the Internet for added functionality. This includes tools such as grammar checking, translation and audio transcription. It also allows downloads of templates and images, for example, to put into a PowerPoint presentation.
The feature came to sudden attention when a blogger, who more commonly writes about fantasy topics, including dragons, wrote a post stating:
"Microsoft Office, like many companies in recent months, has slyly turned on an 'opt-out' feature that scrapes your Word and Excel documents to train its internal AI systems. This setting is turned on by default, and you must manually uncheck a box in order to opt-out."
The writer went on to note that the box to uncheck was at File -> Options -> Trust Center -> Trust Center Settings -> Privacy Options -> Privacy Settings -> Optional Connected Experiences, then uncheck the box: "Turn on optional connected experiences."
Microsoft Denial
For some reason, this post attracted huge attention, including from mainstream non-tech media. However, things are not quite as clear as they might seem.
Microsoft has responded with several statements on social media and in response to journalist enquiries. For example, it told Bleeping Computer that "Microsoft does not use customer data from Microsoft 365 consumer and commercial applications to train large language models (LLMs). Additionally, the Connected Services setting has no connection to how Microsoft trains large language models." (Source: bleepingcomputer.com)
It also posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "In the [Microsoft] 365 apps, we do not use customer data to train LLMs. This setting only enables features requiring Internet access, like co-authoring a document."
The company has also rejected the suggestion the feature has only just been turned on. It says it's been on by default since its launch in April 2019.
Privacy Concerns
The real problem is that although Microsoft does not use customer content for AI training in this case, it may have the right to do so. Its privacy statement says, "As part of our efforts to improve and develop our products, we may use your data to develop and train our AI models."
In other words, it isn't currently using customer data from Connected Experiences for AI training but has the right to do so. That, in turn, raises questions about whether it is relying on opt-in or opt-out consent, which has different implications for whether such a policy and data use is lawful in other parts of the world. On that point, Microsoft's answers remain vague. (Source: theregister.com)
What's Your Opinion?
Have you heard the concerns about Connected Experiences? Do you ever read software privacy policies? Should Microsoft get explicit permission to use customer data to train AI, or is it OK to simply use it unless customers actively opt out?
Comments — Some people want to use the basics — Submitted by LouisianaJoe on Wed, 11/12/2024 — 16:44.
Many users learn to do what they need on a PC. My wife has specific websites that she looks at. Occasionally, she may use Word processing to write a letter or update a club newsletter. That is all that she wants to use, no more. When new features arrive, I spend more time turning off the new stuff. People like her would prefer that any new features be optional and turned on only if needed.
I have developed software since 1966, and I try to make the software do what a user wants, only what I think they need if they ask for it.
I minimize the surprises by using other browsers and LibreOffice for word processing and spreadsheets.
AI is not trusted because it learns as it goes. Many assume that "learning" is spying.
TikTok ban in US: Company seeks emergency injunction to prevent it
See the MalwareBytes article | Posted: December 10, 2024 by Pieter Arntz.
TikTok
TikTok has requested an emergency injunction to stop or postpone the planned ban on the platform in the US.
Back in March, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would effectively ban TikTok from the US unless Chinese owner ByteDance agreed to give up its share of the immensely popular app.
TikTok claims this is censorship and collides with the principle of free speech. However, the company's post on X got a lot of responses from people who feel TikTok itself banned them for no clear reason.
On Friday, December 6, a federal appeals court panel unanimously upheld the law that gave ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, nine months to either get a new owner or be banned in the US. The deadline is looming; unless the courts stop it, it will go into effect January 19, 2025.
Free speech advocates agree with TikTok that a ban would violate First Amendment rights to free speech, mainly because it would set a precedent. The American Civil Liberties Union said to Reuters:
"Banning TikTok blatantly violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use this app to express themselves and communicate with people around the world."
Ever since a former executive at TikTok's parent company ByteDance claimed in court documents that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had access to TikTok data, despite the data being stored in the US, TikTok has been battling to convince politicians that it operates independently of ByteDance, which has deep ties to the CCP.
As early as in 2022, the FCC called TikTok an unacceptable security risk which should be removed from app stores, saying it had referred a complaint against TikTok and parent company ByteDance to the Department of Justice for collecting personal information from children without parental consent.
Since 2020, several governments and organizations have banned, or considered banning, TikTok from their staff's devices. And during a US Senate hearing, General Paul Nakasone, Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) stated that "America's TikTok-addicted youth is playing with a loaded gun."
Meanwhile TikTok also received orders to close its offices in Canada following a national security review. The app has already completely been banned in India, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, and Somalia.
According to TikTok, a ban on the platform would cause small businesses to lose over $1 billion in revenue within just one month, while creators would suffer $300 million in lost earnings.
TikTok's petition has requested that the Court of Appeals make a decision on the injunction by December 16, 2024.
We will keep you posted.
We don't just report on threats — we help protect your social media.
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your social media accounts by using Malwarebytes Identity Theft Protection.
(CNN) — TikTok has plans for another appeal as it faces a ban on January 19.
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected a temporary pause on the ban of TikTok, calling such a block "unwarranted" and paving the way for the Supreme Court to potentially decide the fate of the popular video-sharing app.
Europe Is Building Its Own Starlink Alternative
See the How-To Geek article by Jorge A. Aguilar | Published 17 December 2024.
A satellite-based internet service like Starlink
The European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) have announced a project called IRIS, which aims to create satellite-based internet service like Starlink. It has a budget of €10.6 billion ($11.1 billion).
This initiative aims to create a secure and independent satellite communication network over the next 12 years. This program is a partnership between the EU, ESA, and a private group known as SpaceRISE. They plan to put almost 300 satellites into orbit. SpaceRISE is led by satellite companies like SES, Eutelsat, and Hispasat and includes major companies like Airbus and Thales.
IRIS, which stands for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite, will improve existing EU systems like Copernicus and Galileo. This means more accurate navigation and timing and delivering valuable Earth data. Most of the satellite capacity will be used for commercial broadband services, but a significant part will focus on government communications like security and crisis management. The network will operate in low and medium Earth orbits, with the first launch planned for 2029. The funding for this project will come from different sources: the EU is contributing €6 billion ($6.3 billion), ESA is providing €550 million ($578 million), and the private sector is contributing over €4 billion ($4.2 billion).
While the extra broadband capacity from the satellite network is just a side benefit of its primary goal, the benefits are clear. Creating a strong, independent European satellite network might improve internet access, especially in remote or underserved areas. As more companies enter the satellite internet market due to IRIS, EU citizens could see lower prices and better service.
IRIS aims to compete with current and upcoming satellite internet services like SpaceX's Starlink, which can bypass lousy internet. While Starlink has a significant market share and has introduced new features such as direct-to-cell communication, IRIS plans to provide a secure option focusing on government and security needs, and likely those of the public.
Fun Facts:
Windows 11 PRO UNABLE TO ACCESS NETWORK DRIVES
Since the upgrade from normal Windows 11 to the 24H2 version a week ago, I have been unable to access my other Network Computers.
My regular computer is Windows 10 Pro, so I want to send files from others on the network to that computer.
Most of them are Windows 11 Pro (as received from Amazon over the last year or so).
One was Windows 11 Home; this computer can now access my Windows 10 Pro machine. WHAT?
Ryzen-9 (Windows 11 Home, 24H2)
Ryzen-9 has access to \\Ryzen (Windows 10 Pro)
TrigKey-2 (Windows 11 Pro, 24H2)
TrigKey-2 HAS NO ACCESS to \\Ryzen
Does Microsoft expect me to return to Windows 11 Home to regain my network access?
Or, will some Windows user(s) barrage Microsoft with the knowledge of this Network Error, and we all patiently wait for them to fix it?
Either way, I AM AMAZED THAT MICROSOFT CAN PRODUCE SUCH SIMPLE, BUT SERIOUS, CODING ERRORS THAT AFFECT US ALL!
— Ed.
Windows 11 Serious Network Errors:
See the ElevenForum comment by Flourgrader — Well-known member | Posted Local time 11:22 am, 10 and 11 Oct 19, 2024.
Hi All,
Has anyone got an idea what is wrong with Windows 11 24H2?
I have done both a manual update and a standard Windows auto update.
My Network is not functioning properly. All the laptops on the network that are on Wi-Fi can be seen and accessed in full.
All computers on CAT 8 ethernet cable are not listed/shown in File Explorer.
If I open File Explorer and put the name of the PC I want to access into the address bar eg:\\Nameofpc\ I can open it, and I can access it in Full. [ Do you mean can NOT access etc? ]
I can Map network drives to the drives which are not being shown in File Explorer and use them in full. [ This sounds confused. ]
I have re-checked all my network settings such as Network Sharing, plus advanced options.
I've tried all the network CMD commands in admin mode!
And also checked my settings in Services (set to Automatic (Delay Start)), Function Discovery Provider Host.
FDResPub and GPedit (Lanman Workstation) to enable insecure guest logons.
Any ideas on how to fix this would be welcome.
In the meantime, I have restored my hard drive image of Windows 23H2 and disabled Windows update for the time being!!
TY
Meeting Location & Disclaimer
Bob Backstrom
~ Newsletter Editor ~
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