From the «AI is like herpes, kill it with fire» department:
Title: Microsoft Word is using you to train “AI”
Author: Thom Holwerda
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2024 22:25:24 +0000
Link: https://www.osnews.com/story/141196/microsoft-word-is-using-you-to-train-ai/



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 have
to manually uncheck a box in order to opt out.

If you are a writer who uses MS Word to write any proprietary content (blog posts, novels, or any work you intend to protect with copyright and/or
sell), you’re going to want to turn this feature off immediately.
↫ Dr. Casey Lawrence[1]


The author of this article, Dr. Casey Lawrence, mentions the opt-out checkbox is hard to find, and they aren’t kidding. On Windows, here’s the full snaking
path you have to take through Word’s settings to get to the checkbox: File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences > Uncheck box: “Turn on optional connected experiences”. That is absolutely bananas. No normal person is ever going to find this checkbox.

Anyway, remember how the “AI” believers kept saying “hey, it’s on the internet
so scraping your stuff and violating your copyright is totally legal you guys!”? Well, what about when you’re using Word, installed on your own PC, to
write private documents, containing, say, sensitive health information? Or detailed plans about your company’s competitor to Azure or Microsoft Office? Or
correspondence with lawyers about an antirust lawsuit against Microsoft? Or a report on Microsoft’s illegal activity you’re trying to report as a whistleblower? Is that stuff fair game for the gobbledygook generators too?

This “AI” nonsense has to stop. How is any of this even remotely legal?

Links:
[1]: https://medium.com/illumination/ms-word-is-using-you-to-train-ai-86d6a4d87021 (link)

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On 25 Nov 2024 13:33:35 GMT, Retrograde <fungus@amongus.com.invalid>
wrote:

he author of this article, Dr. Casey Lawrence, mentions the opt-out checkbox >is hard to find, and they aren't kidding.

But, is it really turned off....who verified?

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On Mon, 25 Nov 2024, JAB wrote:

On 25 Nov 2024 13:33:35 GMT, Retrograde <fungus@amongus.com.invalid>
wrote:

he author of this article, Dr. Casey Lawrence, mentions the opt-out checkbox >> is hard to find, and they aren't kidding.

But, is it really turned off....who verified?

In europe opt-out is illegal as per GDPR. There are countless companies breaking against this rule in the EU itself.

On the other hand, GDPR is mostly seen as a weapon against US tech
industry in the EU, so the authorities don't really care if smaller
companies engage in minor violations.

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On 11/25/2024 8:33 AM, Retrograde wrote

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 have to manually uncheck a box in order to opt out.

I still use MS Office 2003, which is mostly backwards compatible with
newer .DOCX documents. I wouldn't even consider a newer version because
they are a paid subscription now, rather than owning the software. I've
been told that it's still Win10 compatible, and CD's of the software are
cheap on eBay, if you still have a disc drive.

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