New Outlook is good, both for yourself and 766 third parties
Microsoft’s “new Outlook” is drawing criticism for extensive data sharing and opaque consent screens that reference hundreds of third-party partners, raising fresh concerns about user privacy and regulatory compliance under GDPR and related EU rules. Commenters argue that while corporate IT departments may formally own the risk, individuals still bear the consequences of pervasive tracking and account lock‑in, especially when Outlook functions as a cloud service that intermediates all mail. Many see this as part of a broader trend of Windows and Office being “enshittified” with ads, telemetry, and lock‑in, prompting recommendations to switch to alternative email clients, self‑hosted solutions, or different operating systems.
Privacy notices, 766 third parties & GDPR
- The screenshot appears to be a consent banner listing 766 third parties; several commenters find the number shocking and “eye‑opening.”
- Some say similar consent UIs recently started disclosing hundreds or even thousands of parties, possibly including downstream partners of partners.
- There is debate whether the banner text is genuine or partly fake; one commenter finds it legally incoherent and mixing GDPR and e‑privacy concepts.
- Clarification that this kind of banner is typically GDPR‑driven, not just cookie law.
- Separate debate over GDPR’s territorial scope: some argue a US‑based service can claim it is not “offering services” to EU users; others counter that active European users, portfolio companies, and EU‑based job ads make that hard to defend.
Right to be forgotten & data deletion practices
- Discussion drifts to how some sites handle deletion: rather than deleting comments, they detach them from the username.
- Multiple commenters say this likely does not satisfy a strict “right to be forgotten” because identity can still be inferred; others note that PII can sometimes be removed on request.
- There is skepticism that such policies are legally compliant for EU users.
New Outlook design, features & architecture
- Many dislike the “new Outlook”: missing PST/data file support and other legacy features; this threatens long‑term archives in some organizations.
- Others welcome the end of PSTs due to backup/sync headaches and poor HTML rendering.
- One commenter calls the new Outlook essentially a cloud proxy that holds credentials and processes all mail server‑side, rather than being a traditional client.
Spam filtering & reliability
- Several report poor spam handling: obvious spam reaching inboxes, while legitimate internal or Salesforce‑generated appointment emails get flagged as junk.
- Others say Outlook is aggressive mainly against self‑hosted servers, hurting small operators.
Microsoft’s incentives, ads & lock‑in
- Broader criticism of Microsoft: telemetry, ads, and “enshittification” of Windows and Office, with speculation about a future cloud‑only Windows and granular monetization.
- Some see this as a response to slowing hardware sales; others argue it’s pure rent‑seeking given Microsoft’s profitability.
- Comparison with Apple: Apple is accused of its own lock‑in and pricing abuses, but praised for cleaner default UX; others stress Apple is also building an ads business.
Alternatives & user strategies
- Suggestions include Thunderbird (IMAP, Exchange add‑ons), Evolution (with EWS), OWA as a PWA, eM Client on Windows, or full Linux desktop setups.
- Several emphasize choosing privacy‑respecting email providers and owning a personal domain, though others note the non‑trivial effort and learning cost.