Buy a new monitor, get some adware for free

Plug in your nice new computer screen. Let Windows 11 do its thing. Enjoy seeing a load of software you didn’t ask for being installed leaving you with an indefinite future of seeing adverts for crappy antivirus software you don’t need whenever you use your machine.

Yes, LG and Alienware Monitors Are Trojan Horses, Auto-Installing Windows Adware.

Turns out Windows 11 has a feature that automatically installs associated software when you plug in a device. So, of course, device manufacturers are using it to make your computing life worse than it needs to be.

OEMs now treat companion apps as brand-experience platforms and ad-delivery channels - a pattern well documented among the worst tech scandals that have taken advantage of consumers. McAfee pop-ups arriving through a DisplayPort cable feel like getting a flyer shoved through a mail slot you didn’t know existed, and may leave you paying too much - in attention, data, and system resources - for hardware you already own.

Imagine if we’d designed world where turning on your computer didn’t feel like preparing for battle.