Odds are you can and could’ve been doing something about it, and have been opting out this whole time.

Back when Windows 8 came out I was still working retail and attended a demo and training seminar from Microsoft.

As part of this training, they explained a lot of their decisions as to why they moved to the “Metro UI”, which I kinda liked after a while.

During the years leading up to Windows 8, people using Windows 7 were invited to participate in the CEIP or Customer Experience Improvement Program.

As part of the CEIP Microsoft kept track of how people started their apps and found the of those participating, almost everyone had stopped using the start menu and launched from desktop shortcuts or the pinned apps in their taskbar.

As we now know people lost their ever loving minds and demanded the return of the start menu. I guess being stuck on something from 1995 even in 2012 was a form of a comfort?

The interesting thing about the CEIP was that it was offered to almost everyone, but so few people opted in. I have a strong reason to believe it was because of so many blogs and forums telling people that they should never opt in to these things.

Lots of claims of privacy invasion but I don’t recall anyone pointing out anything of concern in the privacy policy.

Regardless, I’m wondering how they expect companies like Microsoft to improve their product if the general public refuses to give them useful data or feedback?

On that same thought, I do understand many companies, Microsoft included are abusing their data collection and using it beyond improving their products and using it for targeted ads and such.

I’d like for more companies to collect anonymous data on how people use their products in ways that won’t allow them to link it to individuals.

I’d also like for influencers and the general public to understand that nothing will get better if they stay quiet and withhold any feedback in any form.