Named & Shamed
Keumars Afifi-Sabet puts the boot into tech villains, jargon-spouting companies and misbehaving software
SOFTWARE WARNING!Microsoft’s QR code advert for Copilot
For years Microsoft has treated the lock screen on Windows like a digital billboard. But these ads promoting Microsoft’s own products have usually been so small that you could log into your computer without really noticing them. However, what is impossible to ignore is a great big stonking QR code planted bang in the middle of your screen.
It was spotted by some users who uploaded photos to Reddit to warn others (pictured 1 ). Scanning the code with your phone sent you to a web page inviting you to download Microsoft’s Copilot app (www.snipca.com/49683). The caption below the code suggested this, but you had to look closely to see that the message referred to the code.
Microsoft has a reputation for squeezing ‘experimental’ adverts into every nook and cranny of Windows. There’s usually a backlash that forces the company to remove the ad, and so it proved once again. “The notification was simply a way to educate users and has since been paused,” it said.
Well, we like to ‘educate’ users too, so here’s how to prevent further junk from appearing on your lock screen. Open Settings (press Windows key+I), then click Personalisation. Click ‘Lock screen’ then, in Windows 10, turn off the slider next to ‘Get fun facts…’ (see screenshot 2 ). In Windows 11 you need to untick a box.
And as a bonus tip, don’t bother with the Copilot app. Use ChatGPT instead, as Robert Irvine recommends on page 53. It’s cleaner, easier to use, and actually tells you what you want.
WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?
WHAT THEY SAY
Jason Zander, Mic
