It's too bad that microsoft continues to be villainized when companies like Facebook and Google have social networks and browsers respectively that have similar practices that users are even more unaware of when they use them.

Computers these days have become thin clients for browsers (especially for the typical consumer). Except for the occasional open of Word or Excel, you're in your web browser browsing the web and have a tab open for Facebook. With new features like "sign into your browser" or ad retargeting across the sites you visit today, consumers are already being subjected to practices that Microsoft at least gives you the ability to turn off piecemeal if you so wish. They're just doing so at the operating system layer instead of the browser.

Think doing so at the operating system is more criminal than at the web browser or website level? Consider that Google Chrome is moving to become "Chromebooks" and that Android integrates Google Search. It's already happening and we take Google's "don't be evil" mantra for face value while continuing to poke Microsoft out of sheer habit.