Microsoft Just Got Another Reason to Watch Everything You Do

A new Microsoft patent reveals visitor'south bigger plans for data acquisition and improved search results. The tech giant is planning to scout everything you do and sync it between different apps to bring you quicker and better search results. Hmm...

Microsoft to brand your life easier with contextual search results

Published yesterday, the new patent chosen "Query Formulation Via Chore Continuum" aims to brand search efficient by using more user data. Since nosotros apply multiple apps for different purposes, just to complete one task, Microsoft plans to let these apps communicate with each other, using a mediating module.

"For instance, if a user is researching the topic of "dancing" for schoolhouse, the user will apply a first awarding to write things down likewise equally a 2nd awarding such as a browser, to search different styles of dancing. However, in existing systems, the two applications are completely disconnected from each other. The first application does not provide the browser implicit hints every bit to what the user might exist seeking when there is a switch from the first application to the second application."

While for the user it's one task, applications treat them differently because they are disconnected. Microsoft is now patenting a solution past creating a mediating agent. The mediation module will be watching over what the user is doing in active Os and 3rd party applications, and then using that data to produce more focused search results "through the preferred search provider."

Only, what about user privacy?

In theory, it sounds exciting that something will make our workflow faster by helping us get through things quicker. Microsoft is besides promising to remove the personally identifiable information from this data (or would crave user consent). If there are no privacy concerns, and if pulled off successfully, it would actually brand our lives a lot easier. But, it's Microsoft that nosotros are talking about.

Microsoft along with Google have a thing for data accumulation, and since both have been regulars at breaking promises with their users, it doesn't e'er excite anybody when a new technology is revealed. Even if the company manages to design it perfectly (and non another annoying Clippy-thing) and actually making it worthwhile to let Microsoft mind to our "diaries," there are heavy privacy concerns associated with how it works. But, Microsoft could besides choose to handle privacy problems the right fashion.

For starters the company could - and should - brand it an opt-in system and not some other toggle that's enabled by default. Microsoft could as well allow users more control over what applications tin exist accessed by the mediator and which ones are off-limits. Add in easy toggles to enable and disable it, and nosotros might just have a winner here. Imagine, you get-go working on a document and toggle this feature on from the taskbar, let contextual search become you better results, finish off with fewer frustrations and more than "actual" help from the search engines, and turn the feature off.

Looks good. Again, in theory.

Dorsum in real life, it'south difficult to trust the tech giants to resist more user data. It reminds me of the latest Allo-dilemma. Y'all are offered better aid, more convenience, but y'all are to office ways with your privacy. With time, Microsoft might also demand to store this user information to offering better AI-powered search results, driving contexts from user's interests or previously finished documents, images and other data. It'southward early to say if, and how, the visitor will implement this technology. But, it certainly doesn't look unlikely with recent focus on offer improved "personalized" computing to users.

Would you trade off your privacy for some make-your-life-easier features?

Earlier: Google Decides to Focus More than on Surveillance and Less on Allo's Privacy Protections

Source | Via