I definitely prefer working at home. Despite the arguments that interaction between workers sparks creativity, I find that my staff is so used to working online, that they’re just as creative working on their own computers.
I’ve noticed that when I tell Sam’s or Walmart I’m on my way to pickup my order, they immediately start tracking me. Why do they need to know where I’m coming from?
From Windows Central <windowscentral@smartbrief.com>
By Kevin Okemwa published 2 days ago
A vast majority of users feel like Microsoft Teams’ Wi‑Fi location tracking feature crosses the line between productivity and surveillance.
Last year, I reported on a new Microsoft Teams feature, which raised controversy and privacy concerns among most users. The feature in question automatically updates a user’s work location when their device is connected to an office Wi-Fi network — becoming your boss’s lapdog, by snitching on your live location.
Shortly after the post became viral, Microsoft quietly changed how the feature works, as highlighted below:
“When users connect to their organization’s Wi-Fi, Teams will soon be able to automatically update their work location to reflect the building they’re working from. This feature will be off by default. Tenant admins will decide whether to enable it and require end-users to opt-in.”
“Microsoft is blurring the lines between coworker collaboration and IT oversight.
IT wise, yes the info was always there. But nobody is asking IT to snitch on you. The entire point of this is that your boss just has to click your name on Teams and now they know where you are. No IT requests, no privacy/ethics concerns, no breach of trust. It’s just right there at any time.
What’s the next step? The same tracking but for your phone? Microsoft letting your boss look at your screen? Sending your boss daily reports on click rates, words typed, program usage, etc?”
Interestingly, some users seem unfazed by the change, claiming that most Microsoft products and services already ship with this feature in some shape or form. “Most Microsoft products already meet the criteria for what we’d normally call spyware. What’s another drop in a flooded bucket?” a Reddit user indicated.
Some users came up with some interesting ideas on how to bypass the new Teams feature’s invasive nature, suggesting using a wired connection at the office instead of Wi-Fi. “I just won’t install teams on my phone then, and when I’m working remote they can’t find me anyway they can just message me and I’ll answer from the laptop,” another Reddit user indicated.
On the other hand, some users suggested that Microsoft’s efforts were seemingly misplaced and indicated that it should redirect them to fix some UI and UX elements in its Windows operating system. “God forbid they spend time to make the Windows search actually search my computer again,” a user indicated.
After reviewing hundreds of comments, it’s clear that users either want the feature scrapped entirely or simply don’t care, since many work remotely. “I swear there must be a team at MS that is just tasked with making Teams worse,” a user indicated on Reddit.
