MJ

They have a Global Device Identifier (GDID) Tracker that functions as a fingerprint for your PC that can surpass VPNs, proxy servers and countries. Although it can't survive a clean reinstall of Windows (it can survive updates), because Microsoft forces you to go to the internet and log in into a Microsoft account, they will be able to get to you.

Microsoft kept it secret and it was only found out when the FBI tracked a hacker thanks to the information Microsoft gave them.

You should be paying attention to this, and possibly consider moving away from Windows. If a government, especially the US government, doesn't like you for some reason, this could be seriously concerning.

This article specifically notes:

For journalism, activism, or domestic abuse situations, skip Windows and use Linux routed through Tor instead of a commercial VPN. A GDID doesn’t care which VPN you use, only that it’s still the same Windows installation.

Other important quotes:

What has researchers uneasy is everything else the case reveals. Costin Raiu, a well-known malware researcher, asked on the Three Buddy Problem podcast how much of this exists on other platforms, and whether it is linked more permanently to hardware. Matthew Hickey, another security researcher, called Windows “surveillance software”.

Two things back that up:

There’s no consent screen. A GDID gets assigned when you sign into a Microsoft Account. Apple’s advertising identifier needs an App Tracking Transparency prompt and a visible reset; Android’s works the same way. GDID has neither, and a Windows reinstall only gets you a new number Microsoft can still get back to the same account.

his entire character is a full frontal assault on every ‘good ol’ boy’ stereotype

sure, he has 1 outfit (plaid shirt + jeans), military hair, and a permanent scowl

but he also has zero fucks to give about wearing things other people find dorky, like turtlenecks, because they are functional

and he doesn’t need a belt because he buys pants that fit thank you

and said pants fit VERY well indeed

also his plaid shirt has snaps instead of buttons as if he sometimes moonlights as a stripper

instead of the strong silent type he’s a strong hyper-verbal type, in that he can and will speak long convoluted paragraphs when provoked 

he had really long eyelashes and it miffs him somewhat that his two male farmhands never noticed or complimented them

violently feminist. dislikes his sister’s boyfriends because they are dumb hockey himbos, not because there’s TWO of them. his sister fights on HIS behalf as well as the other way around. 

asks his sister’s permission to fight on their property during a party she organized, like a Spartan who needs his wife to nod her approval

he once decided not to be friends with a guy after learning he didn’t tip their waitress in the place where they were drinking

is often prissier than your maiden aunty

politely ignores everyone who hits on him, regardless of whether it’s the ultra-horny female bartender, the ultra-camp male Christian pastor, or the most desirable girl in town. 

loves dogs more than anything 

Gold, Silver, and Bronze!🥇🥈🥉