Why in the world is Microsoft pushing COD ads to BUSINESS PCs?

Question

I work in a municipality in the IT department and I have seen several times in the last couple of days that we are being pushed ads on our Windows machines for Black Ops 6. These are both Windows 11 Pro and Windows 10 Pro machines and are on an organizations domain. Every aspect of these operating systems says, "This is a machine for business" so why would you pedal your ads to these? Do you not think elsewhere on the internet is good enough to try and sell your games? Does it really seem necessary to force every windows user to see the ad? Does it seem like the best business model to try and get other businesses to see your game sales?

***moved from Windows / Windows 10 / Microsoft Store***

Answer 1

You're certain that Microsoft is sending these ads to you? For a game made by Activision?

I have two suggestions, but first something about Microsoft Community that you might not know. Microsoft Community is a user community. All of us here are other Windows users. There's nobody from Microsoft here, and Microsoft doesn't read these posts.

Now, my suggestions:

1- Try an ad-blocking browser extension. There are several of these and they are very effective, although no ad blocker can block 100% of ads. The one I use is uBlock Origin.

2- Scan your computer for adware, especially if you are seeing ads when you aren't using a web browser.

Best wishes for your success.

Answer 2

Hello Trevor Patton,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

It sounds like you're encountering some frustrating issues with unwanted ads on your organization's machines. Here are some insights and possible actions you can take to mitigate these ads.

1. Disabling Ads: There are some steps you can take to reduce or eliminate these ads on your Windows 10 and Windows 11 Pro machines:

Windows 10: Go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off "Show suggestions occasionally in Start."

 - Go to Settings > System > Notifications & actions and turn off "Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows." 

 - Go to Settings > Privacy > General and turn off "Let apps use advertising ID to make ads more interesting to you based on your app usage." 

Windows 11: Go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off "Show recently added apps."

 - Go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn off "Offer suggestions on how I can set up my device." 

 - Go to Settings > Privacy & security > General\*\* and turn off options related to advertising ID and tailored experiences. 

2. Feedback to Microsoft: If you feel strongly about this issue, you can provide feedback directly to Microsoft. You can do this through the Windows Feedback Hub app. Microsoft does consider user feedback when making decisions about their products.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

Answer 3

I'm the system administrator at this municipality. For context, Microsoft owns Activision. I'm just voicing frustration here, not blaming anybody on this forum. There is no browser extension installed. We run a very robust virus protection tool and have dedicated cyber security watching every little change to our machines and our network. This was 100% an ad pushed via Windows Notification to sell a game from the Microsoft Store. The problem is that Microsoft used to differentiate based on OS version and "Pro" meant just that. Professional. But they don't care anymore. Even Microsoft Pro installations come with Xbox and push video games now even in a domain-controlled professional environment.

Answer 4

Yes, Microsoft are still doing this, I just received the popup today.
If i want to buy COD, i'll buy it through the Battle.net app, I'm not going to be buying it from a popup.

If anything, doing **** like this makes me want to buy it less...