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Microsoft's Bing Wallpaper app swaps scenic wallpapers for Harry Potter ad
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Microsoft's Bing Wallpaper app has begun showing an advertisement for the Harry Potter film collection, replacing its usual scenic wallpapers, prompting user complaints on Reddit and Microsoft Learn.
For engineers, this shows how even a simple desktop utility can become an ad-delivery channel, and the Bing Wallpaper app has a history of privacy concerns, including past cookie snooping. Users have no clear opt-out, leaving uninstall as the main recourse, which may erode trust in Microsoft's other services.
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The Bing Wallpaper app displayed a Harry Potter film ad on Monday, interrupting its usual rotation of scenic images.
Users on Reddit and Microsoft Learn complained, with some threatening to uninstall the app.
The app's settings now note AI-generated wallpapers, and the app previously faced criticism for cookie snooping.
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