this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2023
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[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Don't buy Lenovo, unless you like your Chinese spy machines

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)

Can you give me some of the articles, studies, etc. which have convinced you of these laptops being chinease spyware?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I take it you don't remember the SuperFish scandal? Lenovo just settled the class action lawsuits not too long ago. I don't blame anyone for not trusting Lenovo after they sold PCs with built-in spyware that ran MITM attacks using self-signed certificates and hijacked their SSL/TLS connections. You really don't need a study for something that Lenovo admitting to doing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't remember the superfish scandal, had never heard of it actually. Thank you telling me about it though, I was a child when this was a thing. Looks like it came out in 2015 and settled in 2017. That's not recent. Thank you again, I'm glad to know this, and won't think of Lenovo when suggesting laptops again.

I can understand the aggression you're giving me seeing as how you're being downvoted for something which may be a legitimate concern. I'm sorry for that, and would like to confirm I've not been participating. (Edit: sorry, you're not bigfig. This apology was to them) My thanks was honest. Though, I cannot see the link to it being a "chinease spyware" situation. Would you be able to provide links for that one? I see superfish is and was headquartered in california. What makes it chinease?

Edit: @[email protected] would you be able to advise? (BigFig)

For the lazy, here's some excerpts from a PCWORLD article:

According to the FTC, the software allowed VisualDiscovery to see all of a consumer’s sensitive personal information transmitted over the Internet, including log-in information, Social Security numbers, and more

In 2015, Lenovo CTO Peter Hortensius called the decision to use Superfish a “significant mistake.”

(Big whoopsy daisy, we sent all your personal information to an add company, we really ballsed this one up)

For 20 years, Lenovo will be required to put in place a “comprehensive software security program for most consumer software preloaded on its laptop,” subject to external audits, the FTC said. If Lenovo does put adware onto its laptops, it must “get consumers’ affirmative consent,” it added.

Wow, maybe that one shouldn't be limited to 20 years. Maybe that one shouldn't be limited to lenovo, huh

According to McSweeny, VisualDiscovery and its Superfish software “would alter the very Internet experience for which most consumers buy a computer,” she wrote.

I assume for the better right guys? right?

According to McSweeny, the Superfish software slowed Internet browsing, specifically downstream traffic by 25 percent and uploads by as much as 125 percent. In addition to simply slowing browser speeds, VisualDiscovery also used an insecure method to replace digital certificates, exposing users to risk and preventing their browsers from warning them that the website they were visiting could have been spoofed. And on every e-commerce site, VisualDiscovery’s software would display ads.

That ones fun

Here's the original article for the curious: https://www.pcworld.com/article/407332/lenovos-superfish-bloatware-scandal-reveals-a-sneaky-tactic-we-thought-microsoft-had-started.html

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I was a child when this was a thing. Looks like it came out in 2015 and settled in 2017. That is not recent.

Bro you are fucking killing me right now

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Please tell me he's a troll😭

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

My dude, that was 8 years ago. I am 23. There are people younger than you it's nothing to worry about. In high school I was not interested in pc companies, let alone privacy. This has since changed.

I was 15 when the news broke. I liked playing video games, pretending to be cool, and dnd.

You are a very strange person to believe me thanking this person for sharing their knowlage and changing my opinion accordingly is trolling. I'd think you were kidding if I hadn't come back to a new downvote on my two comments in this thread

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

All genuine people are old, bitter, and flame -happy. Ergo, anyone young or polite is a troll. Didn't you know that?

--signed, usenetGPT

Hey! You've just given me a d&d world-building idea...

Your party comes to two bridges, under one of which is a civil servant, and under the other, a troll.

"I have a polite conversation with the troll and ask him to let us pass"

he lets you pass

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