The DOJ Just Proved that Windows is Spying on You

The report reviews the DOJ criminal complaint against an alleged Scattered Spider member and demonstrates how Microsoft’s Global Device ID (GDID), IP correlation, provider account records, social media, travel metadata, and server logs were combined to attribute activity and link multiple accounts/devices; it highlights the privacy implications of persistent device identifiers and offers mitigation recommendations such as using Linux, compartmentalization (Qubes/Tails), separation of accounts/devices, Tor, and other privacy-focused practices.