Deletes all instances of Microsoft's GDID and prevents minting of new ones(github.com)
56 pointsby campuscodi5 hours ago10 comments
  • userbinator3 hours ago
    "The mutation path", "the fully lab-validated line. Other accepted builds warn.", "Status can still inspect", "command, verdict, exit code", "device-identity rehydrate sources", "the network gate", "real-shaped PUID"?

    WTF.

    That was extremely difficult to read. I'm assuming it's LLMese (I've had less trouble with reading the writing of ESL'ers), but one of the strangest dialects of it I've ever seen. It has the flavour of article-spun SEO spam and those shady fake research papers with "tortured phrases". What causes this obfuscated writing style?

    • yegor36 minutes ago
      Repo "author" here. That's just my custom instructions in the IDE, sometimes they result in hilarious docs, sometimes less so. Using GPT Sol for this project, and Fable for review.
    • andersa3 hours ago
      I like to call this style of writing "advanced technical claudish"
      • mlinhares2 hours ago
        I use claude and codex to write nearly all my code today but i can't accept using it to write prose. I still handwrite every single document I have to write and have them review and propose changes, i feel like if i can't put my own ideas into words for people (and claude) to work on i've completely lost it.
    • azalemeth3 hours ago
      > What causes this obfuscated writing style?

      Claude without an editor having worked too long on its own project.

      • Retr0id3 hours ago
        Yup. It's the most frustrating thing in the world, because in my experience it works (claude's claudglish-infused code that is, I can't vouch for TFA). So I brave through it to achieve whatever it is I'm working on.
      • ziiinq2 hours ago
        [dead]
    • someothherguyy3 hours ago
      "real-shaped PUID" seems like usage of "real-shaped" outside of normal disciplines, but probably accurate enough
    • ptrl600an hour ago
      Probably every language at once being expressed in the syntax of English.
    • jorl172 hours ago
      It's missing a couple of wrinkles, surfaces, belt-and-suspenders, belt-and-braces, knobs, no-ops, "things that narrate", bookkeeping, stranded sessions, "the gate leads the arrangement", shit-gated, "to be wired after we've dealt with the parked features", "that's not the whole story", "the interface wants classes", slots and "whatever-backed interfaces".

      All of this is enhanced claude-era vocabulary minted at the pool-of-efficiency, built as a de-facto evolution of legacy-style language.

      Humans and their comment postambles, amirite?

      (Here's a literal quote from a claude session: "After the f-war, the evidence itself stops lying."

      I don't understand why companies are not focusing more on making these highly intelligent models speak a decent language. Maybe they are, and they're failing. But the last few months have made it pretty difficult to engage with these highly intelligent assistants.)

      • userbinatoran hour ago
        You'd think that LLMs are trained on human writing, so they should sound human to some extent, but I've never come across a real human writing like that.

        The last time I tried ChatGPT, it had the tone of "bland, attempting-to-be-helpful-but-stupid corporate HR person", which is annoying but still much more human-sounding than this mess.

    • shimman2 hours ago
      Thank you for LLMese, that's gold.
    • ziiinq2 hours ago
      [dead]
    • nullsanity3 hours ago
      [dead]
  • hypfer4 hours ago
    Wouldn't it make more sense to instead use the same GDID on thousands of hosts?

    Or a random GDID on each read?

    No GDID sounds like it sticks out a lot more.

    • happosai4 hours ago
      Trying to make windows work differently than what Microsoft wants is a losing proposition.

      It would make more sense just not use windows to begin with.

      • userbinatoran hour ago
        Vibe-coding a sufficiently compatible replacement seems increasingly possible. ReactOS and WINE can either get on board, or if they still try their IP pearl-clutching, I suspect they'll be replaced by something else. Bonus points for using Copilot to do it.
      • ziiinq2 hours ago
        [dead]
    • Melatonic2 hours ago
      Or just have the option of any of these

      Same GDID would pollute the data for Microsoft if enough people did it. Which would also incentivise a fix or another way to differentiate.

      Random GDID would likely be the most "security through obscurity" approach but still allow tracking per "session" or whatever time period it changed in.

      No GDID could stick out more and if enough people did it also incentivise a fix.

      Hard to say which is best but I also like another persons suggestion of random GDID assigned at boot. Or maybe no GDID by default with the option to spoof a random GDID manually

    • jmclnx4 hours ago
      Or recreate it on every boot :)

      For example, it you are paranoid about Linux's /var/lib/dbus/machine-id file you can easily use dbus-uuidgen(1) to re-create it on shutdown.

    • isdononthephone3 hours ago
      [flagged]
      • gruez3 hours ago
        >Why not create a new HN account for every post?

        Your profile:

        >created: 1 day ago

        • isdononthephone3 hours ago
          Guess I can't leverage my karma number to downvote posts I don't like and beg for VC money. My loss.
  • isdononthephone3 hours ago
    What's the intersection between the GDID schizos and those who believe Microsoft should be forced to collect your child's birth date and provide it to any app or site that asks for it?
  • IronWolve3 hours ago
    <Gov AI> this user keeps hitting our instances with no GDID, better look into it.
    • Melatonic2 hours ago
      Better yet - reply with the same GDID of the machine doing the scanning :-D
  • cadamsdotcom3 hours ago
    Sharing in the hope it helps even one person on the fence to convert.

    C. 2012 I swore never to use Windows again, and I've managed it! It is possible - macOS is really good (you'll have to unlearn your muscle memory of the Ctrl key) and Linux gaming has come a long way.

    If using Windows professionally, consider installing it in a VM on your mac or linux box, then asking your agent to set up scripts that remote to to it (eg. via ssh) and do the required tasks (builds, headless test-runs etc) - remotely.

    Offtopic for the GDID thing; but couldn't be more on topic if you think the market shouldn't tolerate GDIDs and such things.

    • Retr0id3 hours ago
      > you'll have to unlearn your muscle memory of the Ctrl key

      There is another option, which is to use Karabiner to revert to PC-like shortcuts. Learning the mac way is probably better if you plan to use mac exclusively, but I was triple-wielding macos+windows+linux for a period and I wanted my muscle memory to work across all of them.

      • Melatonic2 hours ago
        Aren't a lot kg the mac ones just Command plus the same button ? My brain has learned pretty well to code switch between OS at this point.

        It's actually really too bad MacOS doesn't have some of the windows key shortcuts like "windows key + arrow key". Would be super useful.

  • LoganDark4 hours ago
    Windows has a hardcoded list of Microsoft domain names that entirely bypass the hosts file. I see nothing about this, so I would assume there is no countermeasure here. Curiously, this approach appears to have been tested as working anyway.
    • jerhewet3 hours ago
      Adguard Home running on a Raspberry Pi. Point your router at it for DNS, works like a charm.

      Two years now, and it consistently blocks 48% to 54% of all the trash, including _all_ Microsoft domains.

      • Melatonic2 hours ago
        Unless they just hardcode an IP to their DNS server of choice or even hardcode an IP to a specific Microsoft tracking host
    • jasonjayr4 hours ago
      Is there anyone maintaining a canonical list of such domains and hosts? This would be useful to add as firewall rules on a router upstream of any windows hosts, or to a pihole.
    • vetrom3 hours ago
      Run say a linux firewall vm with PCI nic passthrough and give the host windows machine a virtio-pci/TAP interface as its network access is one countermeasure off the top of my head I can think of.
      • exceptione3 hours ago
        Agreed, running it inside a vm is how you would treat any other malware. Why pci passtrough instead of a regular virtio network driver though?
  • exceptione4 hours ago

      > Court reporting in 2026 established that Microsoft held a GDID-to-URL/time/IP association in one investigation.
    Afaik, this is illegal under GDPR, as an IP has been classified as a personal identifier.
    • buzer2 hours ago
      Storing IP address itself is not illegal. The questions are:

      1) what is the legal basis for storing it and if that's proper or not (e.g. legitimate interest requires balancing test)

      2) if proper GDPR Article 13 notice was given and it covers that processing

      3) if all Article 5 principals are being followed in regards to it (e.g. data minimization, retention period etc.)

      4) if Microsoft had legal basis to transfer the data to police (they probably did, that's not high bar to clear)

    • john_chungus13 hours ago
      [dead]
  • nixosbestos3 hours ago
    Fun story, when my ex and I split a few years ago, I wiped all connections of my Microsoft account to the machine I built him.

    Last week, when I logged into my Microsoft account, I had an extra machine with a funny name. Checking some logs, sure enough that was the hostname he gave that machine. Realized what had happened, refreshed the page, and it was gone.

    The URL parameter for these devices in the Microsoft Account page is the GDID. So the Microsoft Account page showed me a GDID of a device I unlinked ~4 years ago. (And I'm slightly obsessive, I check on my Google/Microsoft account every other month.) Gooood job Microsoft.

    • Melatonic2 hours ago
      You sure it wasn't one of the other UID numbers that have been in use longer ?
  • monster_truck3 hours ago
    This is slop (derogatory)

    It's missing quite a few things. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for claude

    • WalterGR2 hours ago
      I’ll bite. What is it missing?
  • cyanydeez4 hours ago
    while it'd be nice for your paranoia to believe this id key is used for surveillance, it's more likely they just use the same type of finger printing that browsers use.

    There's zero way to onion.route your internet connection information, unless you plan to go nowhere and do nothing.

    Sure, it's worth to highlight privacy-potential-invasions, but the idea that you'll some how escape notice by changing the gdid is short sighted navel gazing.