In my view, this is unacceptable…
They changed my background (previously there was a default blue window), placed an icon in the bottom corner of the screen that read “Learn more about this photo”, and re-added the search bar that I had previously removed.
Fortunately, I don’t have to deal with this on a daily basis.
Just passing the tourch I guess. A random post on the archlinux forum saved me and I’m glad sharing my experience helps someone else.