[MoltenMan]

I think most people don't understand that 99% of people don't know what data encryption is and definitely don't care about it. If it weren't for Bitlocker, their laptops wouldn't be encrypted at all! And of course if your software (Windows) encrypts by default but you don't want to bother the average user with the details (because they don't know anything about this or care about it) you will need to store the key in case they need it.

To everyone saying 'time to use Linux!'; recognize that if these people were using Linux, their laptops wouldn't be encrypted at all!

[bigyabai]

> If it weren't for Bitlocker, their laptops wouldn't be encrypted at all!

And because of Bitlocker, their encryption is worth nothing in the end.

> if these people were using Linux, their laptops wouldn't be encrypted

Maybe, maybe not. Ubuntu and Fedora both have FDE options in the installer. That's objectively more honest and secure than forcing a flawed default in my opinion.

[MoltenMan]

> And because of Bitlocker, their encryption is worth nothing in the end.

No, it's worth exactly what it's meant for: in case your laptop gets stolen!

> flawed default

Look, in terms of flaws I would argue 'the government can for legal reasons request the key to decrypt my laptop' is pretty low down there. Again, we're dealing with the general populace here; if it's a choice between them getting locked out of their computer completely vs the government being able to decrypt their laptop this is clearly the better option. Those who actually care about privacy will setup FDE themselves, and everyone else gets safety in case their laptop gets stolen.