Betteridge’s Law

I think you missed my point…

I am not subject to the GDPR. I don’t have to abide by it. Even if my country adopted a GDPR-like regulation, that regulation would only apply to my privacy. Not yours.

Microsoft has proven themselves overtly hostile to privacy. Yours, mine, and everyone’s. The available options are:

1. Attempt to regulate them into behaving like decent human beings.

2. Avoid their business.

When my therapist is using a system that is overtly hostile to their privacy and mine, the solution is not to ask the government to chastise their attacker. The solution is to eliminate their reliance on their attacker, and get them in a system the attacker doesn’t control.

I’m not saying we should avoid GDPR-like regulation altogether. I’m saying that at the OS level, Linux is intrinsically compliant with the intent of such regulation but may not comply with the letter, if the letter requires some sort of affirmative confirmation or certification of compliance that would be complicated for the developer to implement.

Microsoft will be able to be technically compliant with the law, but will definitely subvert it’s intent and purpose however it can.

I see.

So, a business who deliberately screws over its customers wherever, whenever, and however it wants, suddenly becomes perfectly trustworthy when you check a box.

Contrast, a system that just doesn’t screw over its customers.

GDPR has much the same problem: it can only actually be enforced against entities with a presence in Europe. When Europeans do international business, the GDPR only protects them if that foreign site has a business presence within Europe. When they have no bank accounts or business assets inside the EU, they are not subject to the GDPR.

Even though the GDPR covers your side, it doesn’t always cover the other side.

Sure, I’ll give it a shot:

Does Windows 11 meet European regulations?

Any answer other than “No” is a rebuttal against OP’s argument.

Demanding more regulation isn’t going to solve this problem. Demanding that your therapist and family members abide by some sort of “regulation” just ensures that will only use software that is formally “certified” to meet the regulator’s standards.

Microsoft has the lawyers and marketers to ensure that they can meet any regulation the government wants to throw at them.

Linux just solves it and distributes the solution, fast and free, to anyone who wants it. Nobody has time for regulators, so even though it is more broadly scrutinized and more secure than anything Microsoft will put out, it never gets “certified” by regulators.

You can best secure your privacy by pushing your therapist, your family away from Micoshit.