Summary
Overview
A wide-ranging WAN Show covering Microsoft's hidden device tracking ID in Windows 11, the state of mid-range tech products, Linux gaming advances with Proton 11, and ongoing discussions about PC gaming, emulation preservation, and data center infrastructure. The hosts also discuss YouTube Premium's class action lawsuit, PlayStation's move to digital-only gaming, and various tech industry developments.
Microsoft's Secret Windows 11 Tracking ID Exposed
Federal prosecutors revealed that Microsoft has been using a hidden Global Device Identifier (GDID) in Windows 11 that can track users across VPNs and proxies. The identifier was disclosed during an FBI investigation where Microsoft helped trace a hacker across three countries. While reinstalling Windows generates a new GDID, signing into accounts links the identifiers together, allowing Microsoft to track individual users across installations.
- Microsoft uses a persistent Global Device Identifier (GDID) to uniquely identify Windows installations across services
- Law enforcement can use GDID to track a device's true owner across the Internet, even through VPNs
- Reinstalling Windows generates a new GDID, but signing into accounts links them together
- Microsoft provided FBI with records showing what a suspect's device was doing across multiple locations
" This is a serious problem. Microsoft representative explained GDID as a persistent device level identifier that is designed to uniquely identify an installation of Windows operating system on a device across certain Microsoft services and scenarios. "
Linux Gaming Advances: Proton 11 and PlayStation 3 Emulation
Valve released Proton 11 with expanded game compatibility and ARM64 support, while the RPCS3 emulator reached 75% PlayStation 3 game compatibility. The timing coincides with Sony shutting down PS3 and Vita stores by 2027, making emulation communities the de facto preservation tool. The discussion touches on whether preservation should fall entirely on unpaid communities and the legal gray areas of emulation.
- Proton 11 includes FEX integration for ARM64, enabling x86 games on ARM processors
- 75% of PlayStation 3 catalog (2,681 of 3,559 games) now playable on PC through RPCS3
- Sony shutting down PS3 and Vita stores by 2027, making emulation the primary preservation method
- RPCS3 team re-implemented PS3 system software in open source code to run without Sony firmware
" Should preservation really be falling entirely on unpaid communities? If the paid people, like the software engineers at Sony, were making it so that you could play these games on the modern hardware, then it wouldn't be falling on unpaid communities. "
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