Bonum Certa Men Certa

How I Learned that Skype is a Spy Campaign (My Personal Story) -- by Yuval Levental

Guest post by Yuval Levental as part of the Skype is Spy Campaign

Skype



Summary: Skype is now tracking serial numbers, too

I first discovered Linux when I was 13 years old, and was amazed by it. I really enjoyed the freedom, security, and customizability. I only used Microsoft Windows when I didn't have an alternative.



"I felt like they were watching my actions, and reading more about this issue confirmed my thoughts."Last year, when I bought the current laptop I am using, it came with Windows 10 installed on it. I figured I would partition the hard drive in half and install Linux on one half, to see which operating system I would use the most. As it turned out, I would use Linux almost all the time without any extra effort. There was one exception, and that was Skype, which I used to video chat with some people on. However, one day, I tried changing my password, but that didn't work. I even tried uninstalling and reinstalling Skype a few times, and for some reason that still didn't work.

Many hours later, I found that changing the assigned virtual serial number finally let me log in to Skype. However, the hassle was immense, and I was shocked that Skype would be tracking my serial number. I felt like they were watching my actions, and reading more about this issue confirmed my thoughts.

This was the last time I ever used Windows 10 for personal use. Shortly after, I decided to finally fully switch to Linux. I hope that many people in the future will also switch to Linux, as Linux is far more advanced and potentially user-friendly than it was even just a few years ago. There is no better time than now to switch to Linux.

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