Forum Discussion
rpodric
Oct 17, 2017Bronze Contributor
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is ruining Outlook.com
About a week ago, I noticed that all URLs were suddenly extremely long/obscure, and beginning with something like: https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url= It destroys the URL visibil...
Donald Sandstrom
Jun 20, 2018Copper Contributor
Call me paranoid, but MS reads every URL that is sent to me in an e-mail, and through Safe Links now knows every URL on which I actually click? Sounds like a great data mining opportunity to me. They may pass the URL through a screen to check it, but I just don't believe they don't also track the URLs I follow. I can't (easily) copy the URL and paste it into my browser to prevent that because now it passes first through an MS server before directing me to the real URL. Sad.
- Another GuyJun 20, 2018Copper ContributorDear paranoid?,
For a few years now Microsoft will occasionally send me an email that has a couple buttons on it that reads
Is this:
SPAM
NOT SPAM
I can see the content, it might be one that was sent to me or not.
If it looks like SPAM and I select that button it loads in the browser of choice and only has a CLOSE button. You then click that and it:
Closes that web page tab
Deletes the email.
It's clearly watching what the link does in that browser page as it loads and it contains its actions.
It was a MS Partner program I was asked to volunteer on years ago and it's an old hotmail account that generates tons of spam [1999 era].
I don't get any feedback, but I guess I'm helping. But it's all automated. Usually a couple a month.
I'm not paranoid until things slooow waaay dooowwnn.
The links we are addressing in THIS post kinda work against a black list database and is mostly automated but can generate metrics on data that can be determined to be suspicious. That probably helps to maintain the black list. I doubt anyone is reading your stuff, (there would need to be alot of bored MS email reading employees) but then again if it's evil you really don't want it functioning on your end.
My concern originally with THIS post was that it slows down browsers and eats up cpu and time.
I chose to turn all of my many MS email accounts off from the routing function in THIS post except that one old hotmail account. I now know MS has that OFF switch on each account as they manage the email servers they are protecting. If you ask them nicely and follow the steps they will turn it off. Then it's up to you to protect yourself.
Cheers