Here is an interesting story about the new Microsoft Outlook app spying on you – well not on me I do not use it. It comes from a source that I am unfamiliar with, but it was referenced by Bruce Schneier, a source I respect.
Outlook is Microsoft’s new data collection service | Proton
It seems that Microsoft declares it will share our data with some third parties, but it shares a lot of data with 801 third parties! Some of this information it collects is not even transferred securely but in plain text that anyone with some cyber security (or hacking skills) can read.
Read the article and make your own mind up – remembering that Proton offers its own email service.
Your takeaway
I am not sure I have an answer for this. Could you move away from Outlook and keep the current M365 functionality? May be you use Mac mail, Gmail, or Thunderbird, but I bet those introduce issues when you want to interact with the dominant M365 world or even share within your own team.
Surveillance in the name of profit
The problem here is that when you use the new Outlook app you end up “sharing” with what the article describes as a “small village of third parties”.
I have always promoted Microsoft as a business software company to my clients, as opposed to Google Workplace which is produced by an advertising company. Now I do not see much difference between them. But I cannot see a reasonable solution for most small organisations.
How long will the old Outlook survive?
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
