George Takei takes aim at Windows 10 feature that could out kids to their parents
George Takei has raised concerns over a feature of Windows 10 which could accidentally out LGBT kids to their parents.
The new operating system, which was rolled out last month as a free upgrade for users of Windows 7 and 8, has raised concern over the new ‘activity reports‘ feature.
The feature is enabled by default for users who have set up registered ‘family’ accounts, sending weekly breakdowns of browsing history to the parents – even if the kids browse anonymously or try to clear it.
Sharing a PinkNews article about the feature, the Star Trek star said it was concerning that LGBT kids could be outed, but questioned what other negative impacts the feature could have.
He wrote: ” ‘Outing’ is only one of the disturbing issues here. I worry for the child who seeks online help to avoid abusive parents, only for the parents to be notified. I wonder what other situations this will aggravate?”
Microsoft say the feature includes “regular activity report emails summarising how much time they spent on the PC, the websites they visited, the games and apps they used, and the terms they’ve looked up in search engines”.
Author and digital rights campaigner Cory Doctorow has also flagged up concerns about the “creepy ass” system, sharing a reader’s message to young users warning: “If you have Windows 10 now, your parents might be getting the same kind of report I did. Don’t assume your own computer has your back.”
Earlier this week Takei slammed the anti-gay clerk who was jailed for disobeying US law.
