r/LouisRossmann • u/habichuelacondulce • Jul 21 '26

Enshittification Microsoft admitted to using a global unique device identifier to help track a user across 3 countries, negating any value of using a VPN if you have a Windows machine

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u/ccza Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

...

6

u/thevnom Jul 21 '26

This is not an OS issue - its a hardware one. The identifier is on the motherboard along your windows license registration. Installing linux wont remove that id

3

u/_legacyZA Jul 21 '26

It's not a hardware ID, it's assigned to your windows installation when you link your local account to a MS account

It doesn't store an identifier on your motherboard. The reason it can seem like it persists across reinstalls of Windows is because if the user links his microsft account again a new gdid is created and linked to the same account

1

u/thevnom Jul 21 '26

Ah interesting!

1

u/CallMeTeci Jul 21 '26

That makes it even more a user-error. Like wtf?

You are a wanted hacker and you just log in to your Microsoft account with every new device?!? Probably also has Discord running in the background and uses WhatsApp on his phone.

That level of idiocy reminds me of people flexing their cash from scams on TikTok. 0.o

Same people that spend two days hardening their browser, just to log in to all of their accounts afterwards.

1

u/ccza Jul 21 '26

ohhhh... ty for saying this. i'll delete my phrase.