Okay...my computer completely creeped me out this morning...

[Peacetrain]

Seriously.. I mean every week the thing updates.. okay .. fine.. well this morning, I bring the computer up.. and there is a brand new button on my computer.. that is so weird.. so I highlight it with the mouse so I can see it better.. the button says ACTIVISM.. what.. I am the only person who uses it.. and I did not put any button up.. but being more curious than a cat.. I hit the button and it took me directly to D U.. signed me on the the internet and the whole nine yards..

I make the decisions on what is on my front page when I turn on the computer.. or at least I thought I did.. now some program is deciding to name my bookmarked sites.. Never thought of DU as an activist site.. Its an information site.. if this is AI .. well you can keep it..

[blogslug]

1. Sounds like malware

I would do some scanning if It were me.

[Peacetrain]

3. You are right! Going to do that right now

[a kennedy]

6. and how do you such scanning. and thanks.....

[Think. Again.]

2. Creepy...

I have been suspecting for a while now that there is a subtle training being done to computer users.

It seems we are being slowly adapted to a situation where the control of our computer use is being reversed so the WE are actually doing what the machine wants US to do rather than the other way around.

It's like a slow and steady conditioning, we are basically the frogs being boiled.

I'm too old to be a 'digital native', younger people that have not experienced life without computers don't seem to be worried, so I hope I'm just being paranoid.

[Peacetrain]

4. Yes it is...

[Marcus IM]

7. Windoze auto update.

Switch it to manual/custom updating so you are in control.

I use Macs, I set them to manual update, and I wait a few days or weeks to get updated so I can see if updates are stable.

I have pretty complex music hardware and software so I have to be careful with updates and compatibility.

[Peacetrain]

10. thank you for the advice... need to get my son in to do it for me

[WheelWalker]

8. We're just frogs in a pot... and the pot is getting hot.

[usonian]

5. It depends on your operating system (unless it's malware)

But I suspect that malware would send you to a shopping site, rather than something as useful as you said (or so it seems!)

I have been upgrading systems, and this MIGHT be a case where the geniuses writing the O.S. found a way to create a shortcut, and that you perhaps accidentally stumbled upon.

Of course, since I got a new computer, I have been one at a time undoing some of the "defaults" that were set for me.

I can totally envision a case where you might have dragged DU's URL onto your desktop, but I can't see that creating a button called Activism. Naturally, I just tried something of the sort.

I dragged the "Activism" icon in the DU sidebar to the desktop and got this.
Hardly a button, but these things vary with OS.



You know,

[Peacetrain]

9. Nope ...nothing like that

it is exactly like the microsoft blue swirl.. and had the word activism written below it.. my son stopped by and took a look at it.. and his thoughts (he was able to open it up somehow) that the computer created a short cut for me since I check in to DU three or four times a day.. for a few minutes... he was as stumped as I was why it labeled itself activism..unless as you say that is part of the DU sign in and maybe it just took it from that..

[usonian]

12. I just hope it's not AI running your computer for you.

I used to chide Bill Gates (not personally .... ) for wanting to "optimize" everything, including users.

Perhaps there was some Borg meme, saying "You will be optimized".

Apple has some kind of shortcuts deal === I have stayed on the side of "KEEP IT SIMPLE" in my usage, though I have programmed workflows in AppleScript in the past.

And maybe you did drag some URL to the desktop and maybe it got renamed by its category.

I suspect it's that simple, because I have dragged stuff and dropped it accidentally in unknown places.

Your son probably did a right-click "get info" on the gadget you are talking about and that told him something.

I am just starting to deal with new stuff that has been added to operating systems since (very long ago) because for the longest time, I was on a cellular internet feed. Sloooooow and prone to drop out often. Things just didn't get updated.

A bit of future shock as I bring up the new system.

Good luck.

I'm 74 and computers were most of my career, (starting with a single-board KIM-1) so I keep up .... sorta

Perhaps there are articles on the internet covering "what's new" in your OS lately. I am doing just that for the new Mac here.

[Peacetrain]

20. Yep my son told me the computer was thinking ahead of me

again..a little creepy for my tastes.. but he did not think it was anything serious to worry about.. I am not a computer literate person.. people are a little upset with me because I did not put down what system I was using.. that stuff does not even cross my mind.. I literally am that person who calls their kids and says "None of this works!!" and hands them my phone, laptop and tablet.. By the way it is Windows 11 to anyone passing by..

[usonian]

21. I understand.

I had to set up software for teachers, and when they say "This doesn't work" they mean "This doesn't work the way I think it should"

This is NOT a knock on the teachers, because I say that at least 5 times a day.

Fortunately, I have VERY durable keyboards, (guess why) . (temper! temper!)

FWIW, I turn off ALL "magic" tools, and Siri has never heard from me (not intentionally, anyway)

The matter of operating system really does matter. It's like the difference between driving a pickup and a motorcycle. They have different ways of doing the same basic job. Don't fret if people ask questions. It's the only way to figure out what's going on (and a damn fine sales technique). I supported computer users all the way from new staff people to physics professors (and my family!)

Agree on the spooky stuff.

[Conjuay]

11. Alexa announced

That it has me and my son on voice recognition software. That's Something I never requested OR desire.

[honest.abe]

13. I was able to recreate what I think you did.

I drug the DU "Activism" group link to my desktop. It created a button on my desktop labeled "Activism -Democratic Underground" with the Windows "swirl" as the button background. Does sound like what might have happened?

[Peacetrain]

19. That is exactly what it was!

the Window swirl and the word activism under it.. and when I hit the button it took brought me to DU.. I guess I would never have given it a second thought if it had put up Democratic Underground.. It sort of renamed the site.. It was weird.. that was what creeped me out.. just strange..My son came over and thought that Windows 11 had just put a frequent use button up for me since DU is probably the place I visit most often.. To use his exact wording.. my computer is smarter than I am.. rofl.. kids..

[honest.abe]

22. Perhaps you were attempting to move a window around, you might have...

accidentally dragged it to your desktop. That is the most likely scenario.

[Peacetrain]

23. Yep.. It is starting to look like I did it to myself

[FreeState]

14. This is a frature of windows 10 you can turn it off

No bugs no bad movers just your operating system acting as it’s programmed.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-creates-desktop-shortcuts-automatically/aa92447e-e710-4e49-b9c3-354f5e380b7a

[honest.abe]

16. I really dont think that is a feature of Windows 10.

That is not normal behaviour to automatically create a shortcut everytime a site or application is used. Makes no sense.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

15. When asking for help like this it's very helpful to elaborate ...

Is this Windows or Mac? Which version of the OS (Windows 7/10/11 are all viable still, as are a few Mac versions).

And a 'button' could refer to just about anything clickable

At least say where you're seeing this 'button' (on your desktop? on the Start Menu? On the taskbar at the bottom? etc). Describe it SOMEwhat other than just saying 'my computer has a new button'.

Not criticizing just saying it makes it a lot harder for people to help you w/o this basic info.

Looking at your further elaborations above ... almost certainly ... you created it w/o realizing it.

Updates happening frequently is mostly a sign of how virulent the outside world is in terms of malware and hacking.

[MineralMan]

17. Go read this:

https://www.minitool.com/lib/webloc-file.html

You don't say what type of computer you have, what OS it uses, what browser you are using, or much of any real information at all.

So, I don't have much information to offer you. The more info you provide, the better able DUers will be to give you useful information.

[brooklynite]

18. I'm going to make a guess that's not "creepy".

If you're using MAC OS and Safari, it creates icons of web pages as "favorites" or "frequently visited". They get added and deleted based on frequency of access.