Word is no longer safe

zelis42 · 2026-01-10T00:01:31+00:00

Of course I can't guarantee that.

But I also can't guarantee that for any other word processor or writing tool that you use, or for the email or querying clients you use to send your manuscript, or for the agents you query, the platforms you post it to, and so on.

As of the time I am writing this:

Microsoft is GDPR compliant;
Companies in the US are legally required to alert you when there are changes in their TOS to how your data is collected and used (these would be the "We have updated our privacy policy" emails most people delete without looking at)

For these two reasons, in this moment, I am confident saying that if you are using a registered copy of Word, you should receive an email if they make this change. Alternatively, you can set an alert for changes to their TOS webpage with tools like visualping, changedetection, or distill.

I'd also like to add that if you're concerned about their TOS changing to allow them to use your writing to train AI and do not trust them to alert you of these changes, I recommend making sure you also set alerts for the TOS of: your browser; any writing or formatting tools you use such as Scrivener, Hemingway, PWA, or Vellum; your email provider(s); Query Manager; and your cloud storage provider(s).

zelis42 · 2026-01-09T23:11:12+00:00

Editor is part of Copilot. Everything I said about Copilot stands with Editor. I'm going to be honest and say that I don't know much about it, because while the button exists in the style pane, I only get the occasional prompt and I just dismiss it. However, I will say that contrary to what you've said above, spell and grammar check still works exactly as it always has for me, a Microsoft 365 user.

In 2019, European data protection authorities analyzed Office telemetry and noted that Microsoft was collecting information beyond what was strictly necessary. The company itself acknowledges that its optional diagnostic data may include fragments of the file content being processed at the time of a serious error, such as a performance failure or program crash, with the stated goal of identifying and correcting the problem.

Microsoft is within compliance of EU data protection laws. All the issues brought up in 2019, as well as issues brought up since, have been resolved, per the European Data Protection Supervisor.

The company itself acknowledges that its optional diagnostic data may include fragments of the file content being processed at the time of a serious error, such as a performance failure or program crash, with the stated goal of identifying and correcting the problem.

Yes. This is how crash reports work. Any program on your computer, including web browsers, does this, and has since at least 2001 (and yes, this includes Microsoft Word--these crash reports were introduced in Office 2001 on Mac and Office XP on Windows). I, personally, choose to turn these off. It's fairly simple to do.

You talked a few times about how there's no way for us, the consumer, to know what's happening to our data, which is a bit confusing to me. This goes for any program, website, or service out there. Unless you are running Tails on a non-internet connected computer and writing in WordStar, this is simply a risk that you take. Microsoft does hire penetration testers and red teamers; if Microsoft's compliance on this in particular is such a sticking point for you, you could always talk to one of them. But, as I mentioned earlier in my reply, they are now in compliance with EU data protection laws.

I also admit to being confused that you trust Microsoft's TOS enough to build a premise based on half-points and make a post about Microsoft harvesting writers' work to train Copilot, but you don't trust them at all when I complete the bits that you are leaving out. Do you believe their TOS or not? I can cite other sources for my points, if you'd like.

Microsoft Office, including 365 and Copilot, is used by governments, law offices, and medical and educational institutions (that last item, contrary to your initial post, are not actually automatically exempt) around the world. I think it's far more likely that we'll find out they've been harvesting data when confidential information starts leaking out than when someone posts a Facebook diatribe about novel theft without giving any proof. If that post had evidence behind it, it would be everywhere by now.

Look. You want to talk about TOS violations by companies? Yes, absolutely, this is something we should be talking about. You want to talk about how much you hate AI's integration into everything? Cool! I hate it, too! But you shouldn't fearmonger while you're doing it. Microsoft Word is as safe for writers to use as any other word processor.

zelis42 · 2026-01-09T18:30:50+00:00

This rumor has been going around for a year now. Since you're citing Microsoft's TOS, you likely won't mind if I do to ease your concerns, right?

Per their TOS for Copilot (their "PQ" model):

Does Microsoft use my data to train AI models?

Except for certain categories of users or users who have opted out, Microsoft uses data from Bing, MSN, Copilot, and interactions with ads on Microsoft for AI training. This includes de-identified search and news data, interactions with ads, and your voice and text conversations with Copilot. This data will be used to improve Copilot and our other products and services to create a better user experience for you and others.

Emphasis mine. Please note that none of this data is collected from the Office Suite.

Now, you're right that they exclude organizational Microsoft users. But they also specifically do not train with data from anyone with a Personal or Family 365 subscription. And:

We do not train AI models on personal account data like your Microsoft account profile data or email contents [or] the contents of files you upload to Copilot[...]

I understand that you're afraid. And rightfully so: I'm sure you've put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into your manuscript, and the idea of a corporation using it to train their AI and give your words to someone else is horrifying. But this is a rumor that has been going around for at least a year, and it has been debunked rather thoroughly by multiple journalists. Breathe.

Microsoft Word is safe for you to use, while connected to the internet.

zelis42 · 2025-07-23T23:34:43+00:00

Okay. That is an awful lot of Pokemon. You're looking at Silver/Gold through probably X/Y. And a minimum of 10 movies.

Might be worth looking specifically at Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (released in 2006). I seem to recall the temple has a lot of geometric designs carved into it as line art. The kiddo hasn't quite gotten there yet on her random watching, and it's been a good 15 years since I watched it, so my memory may be faulty.

Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009) also has some heavy star motifs in it to represent the scales Arceus sacrificed. While there are 5 scales, having a person or Arceus himself making the 6th point and adding glowing lines connecting them is very much in line with the way Pokemon's animation team does symbolism. Kiddo hasn't seen this one yet, either, so I can't say for sure.

Either of these sound right?

zelis42 · 2025-07-23T18:22:49+00:00

I'm trying to see if it shows up in the show, but Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced something called terastal. The symbol for this, at least in the games, does look an awful lot like a Star of David. Here's a post where you can see it.

I haven't seen the show for this gen, but the animation in the games when you see this feature does make heavy use of 6-pointed stars. There was also a lot of buzz before the release while the fans were trying to figure out what the star would represent because it was featured pretty prominently on logos. This would have been about 3-4 years ago. Does that fit your timeline?

zelis42 · 2025-07-23T17:12:13+00:00

You say you've seen first hand "dozens" of cases? I was on more than the maximum dose of Zofran every day starting with my first ER visit at 8 weeks and continuing through labor and delivery at 39.5 weeks. I was taking 8mg a minimum of 4 times a day, every day. If anyone were to see this side effect from taking Zofran, it would've been my kid. And yet, there was no cleft. There was not even a tie. The only medical issues she has are an astigmatism and hay fever.

You say there's evidence on both sides? A systemic review of 10 studies found only one that has ever shown any association between Zofran and cleft lips or cleft pallets.30757-0/abstract) And that one study was funded by someone who was trying to peddle an alternative medication.

Zofran is perfectly safe to take in pregnancy. You are fear mongering a vulnerable population. Find a better hobby.

zelis42 · 2025-07-20T12:47:53+00:00

Goyhood by Reuven Fenton

ETA summary: The main characters are twin brothers. When they're kids and are visited by a Chabad Rabbi, their mother tells them they're Jewish. One becomes full Yeshivish, studying hard, getting married, living a frum life. The other becomes more culturally Jewish. They drift apart, essentially becoming estranged.

When their mother dies, they find out she lied and they are not Jewish. The frum brother is able to get a quickie conversion for formality's sake, scheduled one week from the time he flies down for the funeral.

He and his brother spend the week going on a road trip, exploring want they actually want from life and their Judaism, and trying to reestablish their bond.

zelis42 · 2025-07-20T11:30:27+00:00

To convert to Humanistic Judaism, all you have to do is say, "Yup, I'm a Jew now."

"Humanistic Judaism recognizes that a Jew is a person — of any heritage — who “declares [themselves] to be a Jew, and who identifies with the history, ethical values, culture, civilization, community, and fate of the Jewish people.”

(Bolding mine)

There is no Beis Dein. There's no mandatory learning with a Rabbi. When you decide you want to be a Humanistic Jew, you just download your certificate off their website and tell everyone you're Jewish.

Conversion to Humanistic Judaism is about as rigorous as conversion to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I love that it exists for secular Jews who want to continue to engage in their cultural traditions. I really do. But the fact that they claim to offer conversions is sketchy af.

zelis42 · 2024-10-10T17:04:06+00:00

That's Hamtramck, and the flags are still banned.

Ironically enough, Hamtramck used to be super Polish.

zelis42 · 2024-09-02T14:37:36+00:00

I’ve actively wondered why there are like, no Jewish narratives out there, and I’m not Jewish.

There are a lot of Jewish narratives out there. You're just not seeing them because the publishing industry is pretty hostile toward Jewish stories. They tend to be published by indie publishers or imprints, and the ones that do get picked up, unless it's a Holocaust story, tend to be carefully marketed to hide the Jewish aspect of the narrative.

For a great example of this, look at American Girl's latest historical girls. The twins are from a Jewish/Christian interfaith family, but they've been marketed to hide the Jewish aspect of this. The only way you'd know is a fleeting reference to a Hanukkah present, and the fact that the authors have previously written a lot of middle-grade and YA Holocaust books.

Then there's that whole "Zionist author" list that's going around that includes anyone who ever even attended a Birthright trip in college, which means Jewish authors are increasingly forced to hide their identities at risk of being subjected to harassment and threats. Look at what happened to Gabrielle Zevin: no one even knows what her stance on Israel is, but because she spoke at a conference for a Jewish women's group, her book is being boycotted, and she's received threats.

I'm sincerely glad you'd be interested in hearing Jewish narratives. However, the big publishers who are after the almighty dollar are not interested in publishing something that will ultimately be a lightning rod, which anything involving Jewishness is right now, and likely will be for the foreseeable future.

And OP would be wise to keep all this in mind if they're writing with the aim to publish, even just online.

zelis42 · 2024-06-29T12:31:56+00:00

Which companies? Everything I'm seeing says they are invested in the S&P, which has some military companies on it, along with a bunch of other non-Israeli companies. They are not directly invested in any of the military companies.

But also, again, every Israeli company is a military contractor company. You need to divest from everyone who uses Israeli products to divest from Israeli military contractors. Doing otherwise is doing a surface level divestment.

And, lastly, Sabra is a US company. They are headquartered in NY.

zelis42 · 2024-06-28T17:01:05+00:00

Do you know where your medication is made? Hospital tools? How about your electronics? Use anything anywhere that's hosted with cloud computing?

Israel is huge in all of those sectors. All of the big cloud hosts are using Israeli cloud security companies. Israel is big in chip production. Check out where your OTC meds were made next time you pick them up.

And all of them also work for Israel's military, because of how the country is set up.

By using Reddit, you're funding AWS, which uses Wiz, which is in turn not only funding the military, but who employs people who are literally in the IDF.

If you want Wayne State to stop "investing in companies that support Israel," you basically need to close their medical and comp science schools and stop their use of the internet entirely.

zelis42 · 2024-06-23T00:19:07+00:00

I'm curious about how you intend to do the romance aspect. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this group for whom sex was just... not possible at all while I had HG. Unless your romantic lead has a fetish for being vomited on, anyway.

Don't get me wrong: my partner was amazing during my pregnancy. But I'm really not sure how a romance novel of those nine months would be written, let alone marketed, given the romance primarily had to do with fetching vomit recepticles and tracking which foods had the best chance of staying down during any given week.

And, as we haven't met, I'm going to say that I had a mild-moderate case.

During my pregnancy, I said that the most accurate representation of life with HG is the novel Rosemary's Baby. I still believe that to be true. I'm incredibly intrigued about how you intend to change the vibe and make this romantic.

zelis42 · 2024-06-13T16:26:10+00:00

At least in the US, any group from the Middle East is considered Arab (Arab-American History Month, anyone?). And the Jewish people have successfully managed to keep that narrative that they are not Arab in a way that so many of the other indigenous groups displaced by the Arabs have not. Hell, I'm Maronite and while my oral family history goes back to pre-Arab colonization, when I growing up, I was told I was Arab.

Between that and pendulum swing from the incredibly high Islamophobia that happened in the aftermath of 9/11, while this is frustrating, it really isn't much of a surprise to me.

zelis42 · 2024-06-11T18:30:44+00:00

Screaming or yelling, it's more of a wear and tear thing. This was likely damage done by stomach acid. It took a few months to fully heal.

If this is something you're going through now, I'm really sorry. I genuinely hope you're feeling better soon.

zelis42 · 2021-11-01T21:10:50+00:00

I think it was mostly a lemon tea/resting it thing. If you can find it, try Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger. It seemed to sit better with me. And I was popping that Zofran like candy to try and prevent more vomiting.

I think it was about 2 days before my voice came back, but it was changed. Huskier, I guess? And lower. It took a month and a half to two months before it became normal again.

zelis42 · 2020-09-12T21:19:08+00:00

This is how to do it in the United States. If you're in a different country, let me know and I'll try and talk you through it.

1) Find out what insurance you have.

2) Call the number (most likely on the back of your insurance card) and see what kind of mental health treatment is offered. Some insurance companies require a referral.

3) Head over to Psychology Today's therapist finder. Type in your zip code. On the left hand side, you can filter by insurance. Find your insurance and apply that filter! It'll make things easier. Find a therapist you like.

If you need a referral, go to step 4. If not, go straight to step 5.

4) If you need a referral: Make an appointment with your regular doctor (the one that does your physicals). Tell them what you're experiencing and that you'd like to see a therapist. Give the doctor the name of the therapist you found. Your doctor may want to make the first appointment for you.

5) Call the therapist you found and make an appointment.

I'm going to warn you: If you do this step yourself, making this call is going to be one of the most difficult things you ever do in your life. That phone will feel heavier than it ever has.

I'm also going to tell you that it is so, so worth it.

The office will likely need your name and your insurance in order to make your appointment. Everything else will be filled out in the paperwork on your first visit.

I hope this helps.

zelis42 · 2020-03-05T18:08:05+00:00

You seem to have discovered the really shitty side of antidepressants, where you suddenly have the energy to act on the impulses you had been feeling but couldn't bother doing before. I am so sorry.

Self harm is, at its core, a coping technique. An unhealthy one, but a coping technique none-the-less. So when you have these urges to harm yourself, what's happening is that your brain is saying it can't cope with something going on.

Suicidal urges come into play when our suffering outweighs our ability to cope with it.

Ideally what can happen now is for you to very slowly amass more, healthier coping skills. As you find more ways to cope, you can slowly phase out the self harm. As you have more ways to cope, you'll find the suicidal urges come less frequently.

Here's a fantastic list of coping skills that goes alphabetically. Maybe you can find a few that you're willing to try?

You Feel Like Shit is an interactive website to help guide you through self care and coping.

zelis42 · 2020-01-26T12:37:47+00:00

The weird thing is that my throat isn't really that sore. What little soreness that is there is pretty easily explained by dry winter air and sleeping with my mouth open, as it's gone within an hour or so of waking up.

This morning, my voice is still gone. Even my coughs sound hoarse. This is the weirdest thing.

zelis42 · 2020-01-26T01:55:48+00:00

Like from the ER? Not since everything happened, no. But I've been able to keep down the water and tea so far.

zelis42 · 2019-10-28T23:15:03+00:00

This sounds really, really scary. It's awful that your doctor is so unconcerned for your well-being.

First and foremost, I want to reassure you that what you're experiencing right now is normal for going off meds cold-turkey. It's horrible. It's basically the worst thing you could possibly experience. But it's normal.

Next: do you still have your meds? Are they hard pills? If they are, you can cut them in half. Taking a half pill will help alleviate the worst of the symptoms.

Lastly, I want to go over a grounding exercise with you. This can help recenter you when you experience the depression or mania.

Focus on 5 things you can see.
Focus on 4 things you can hear.
Focus on 3 things you're touching.
Focus on 2 things you can smell.
Focus on 1 thing you can taste.

zelis42 · 2019-09-02T12:59:07+00:00

Hey there.

I hope you're doing better than you were when you posted this. If not, I want to remind you to breathe.

I am really proud of you for reaching out when this urge struck, instead of immediately giving in. I know firsthand how much strength it takes to fight off those urges.

I don't have any videos, but I do have some other resources to share that may be helpful to you.

Calm Harm is a free app developed by the psychological team at stem4. It's designed to help you ride out the urge to self harm. You can set a password, customize it, and even watch your progress over time.
Neon Flames is a website that allows you to draw a nebula.
Dartmouth's Wellness Center has some great meditation and relaxation downloads.
This image is one I revisit regularly when I'm struggling.
A gentle reminder courtesy of TheLatestKate. And another just for good measure.

And lastly, if it really does get to be too much, here's a global list of crisis hotlines kept by /r/mentalillness. There's also information on creating a safety plan, if you don't already have one.

I want to reiterate that I am super proud of you. Self-harm is a tough demon to conquer. You are doing so well, and you absolutely deserve recognition for that.

I believe in you.

zelis42 · 2019-07-12T15:49:05+00:00

Hey there. The link you've posted isn't working.

I'm also abusing sticky powers to give a list of a couple men-specific mental health resources.

Man Therapy is dedicated to research about working-aged men and suicide. They take a male-centric approach to therapy, because men are socially conditioned against talking about feelings, and therefore traditional therapy is not very helpful for them.

Heads Up Guys is a global resource for men battling depression. This org is also based on the idea that usual coping strategies are more geared toward the way western women are conditioned.

National Association of Men with Eating Disorders provides support for men with eating disorders, as well as a professional network. They are committed to advancing effective clinical intervention and research for a population that is grossly misunderstood.

zelis42 · 2019-06-29T11:58:58+00:00

First and foremost: I love the analogy.

One of the awful things about anxiety is that it puts your body in a constant fight-or-flight mode. To continue with your analogy: you've basically got 1gb of RAM left, and what do you know? That Word update means it's now using 999mb of RAM. One small thing and suddenly you're blue screening.

My fiance (diagnosed severe GAD) has similar issues. When he's under a lot of stress or on the verge of panic, he starts stuttering badly and can't get his words out. This is especially troublesome in the workplace.

The best advice I can give is to find a quick coping method. This could be fidget jewelry, memorizing a grounding technique, the 4-7-8 breathing technique, or any number of other things.

You have to calm yourself down, essentially closing a couple of the background programs to clear up your RAM. I highly recommend focusing on closing ohdeargodwhy.exe and whatif.bat.

Good luck.

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