Everyone knows OS and software, browsers, etc all use way more RAM than they used to, and arguably more than they rightfully should. Bloatware, etc.
I saw something recently that alleged MS puts a lot of shit into PCs that say they are doing one thing but are really doing another.
It would be wild if they are basically using the PCs of the world to do something like crunch numbers, mine bitcoin, etc. Oh, hey, this guy has 12 gigs of ram and is only "using" 4, that's 8 for us to sap.
So long as it's done slightly, then you may not even notice. I think it was PS3's that had apps to analyze DNA or something during idle sessions. Millions of consoles working slightly equalled a lot of processing power.
By the comments here though, I reads like they dug too deep, and found things that should have remained lost.
You had to opt in for folding@home and it was eventually discontinued for the PS3 because it was bricking consoles. f@h hasn't achieved much in general even with much more powerful hardware than the PS3.
Good to know.