Full extent of Windows 10's data collecting...WOW!

[Crono]

I'm tired of hearing all the whining about Microsoft and privacy.

Don't get me wrong: I want to hear the coverage and do want Microsoft's feet held to the fire - which is why they are being more transparent about what they are collecting - but the incessant whining is annoying.

It's not coming from many of you here, but the people who are the loudest are often users giving a free pass to all the other data collection going up by other companies, including ISPs, who aren't all disclosing what they use the data for.

Mobile data collection is potentially more nefarious because pretty much all smartphones have cameras, microphones, and GPS, and yet you don't see many people actually giving a rat's ass about what their cell carrier or their apps have access to, and those are potentially more vulnerable targets for hackers than Microsoft, which at least states their data collection is anonymized and used for diagnostic and platform improvement purposes.

But the bottom line is if you really care, stop ineffectual complaining, and move your ass over to Linux. Actions speak louder than words, and nothing will send Satya and company into a Downfall scenario or to change their course more quickly than getting the news that people really are actually starting to move to Linux en masse.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah mobile is a serious issue too, someone really needs to develop an open mobile platform like what Linux is for PC. I hate the fact that I need to tie the phone to a Google account and the fact that the contacts are part of the same environment as apps. Contacts, phone usage, texting should be totally separate from the "app" portion. Apps ask for permission to access certain stuff, but how do we know all apps do. From what I recall reading a lot of phones have a special app that is separate and is designed to collect tons of info. Basically a NSA trojan.

But when they are doing this to your PC too, to me that is crossing a line that has already been crossed, but crossing it even further. I don't do my every day computing on my phone like I do on my computer, so privacy on my computer and network is more important than phone, but yeah sometimes I feel like I should just get rid of the smart phone. It's too bad mobile platforms are the way they are because they don't have to be that way if they were coded from ground up with privacy in mind but rather they are coded from ground up with data acquisition in mind.

 

[Anubis]

this is no different then what google and apple collect

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I'd rather they focus data collection on mobile, since I don't use it for anything that serious.
Maybe I'm old and crotchety at 30+, but I do all my real computing on my desktop / laptop.


Desktop :

Laptop :

Phone :

 

[BxgJ]

I'm tired of hearing all the whining about Microsoft and privacy.

Don't get me wrong: I want to hear the coverage and do want Microsoft's feet held to the fire - which is why they are being more transparent about what they are collecting - but the incessant whining is annoying.

It's not coming from many of you here, but the people who are the loudest are often users giving a free pass to all the other data collection going up by other companies, including ISPs, who aren't all disclosing what they use the data for.

Mobile data collection is potentially more nefarious because pretty much all smartphones have cameras, microphones, and GPS, and yet you don't see many people actually giving a rat's ass about what their cell carrier or their apps have access to, and those are potentially more vulnerable targets for hackers than Microsoft, which at least states their data collection is anonymized and used for diagnostic and platform improvement purposes.

But the bottom line is if you really care, stop ineffectual complaining, and move your ass over to Linux. Actions speak louder than words, and nothing will send Satya and company into a Downfall scenario or to change their course more quickly than getting the news that people really are actually starting to move to Linux en masse.

Mostly agree with this, especially the bolded. Though I doubt enough people will ever move to Linux to bother Microsoft very much, if great numbers of people cared about this deeply they wouldn't have transitioned as much of their internet use into mobile as they have.

 

[John Connor]

Desktop:

Laptop:

Phone:

 

[Rubycon]

This thread.

 

[Denly]

What's what happen when you expect everything to be "free". YT, updates(IOS/android/w10(m)), webmail, cloud, MS office, apps, news...everything. Companies have to find ways to make money and Google take the lead to the new age of data mining. You see the amount of ads on news site? Because people don't buy newspaper anymore.

 

[shortylickens]

I dont understand why this is a WOW! People who are shocked clearly havent been paying attention in the world.

The first time you load up Windows 10 its fairly obvious the OS is really just an advanced cash register program. The whole objective is to sell you crap directly thru your computer, bypassing the web browser completely. Everything is geared towards pushing you into purchases. You cant open anything you have or search for anything you may have without being pressured into another sale.

After this I think I'm going to Linux. Sure it may not run as many games, but at least it isnt forcing me to turn over my credit card a dozen times a day.

 

[BxgJ]

I dont understand why this is a WOW! People who are shocked clearly havent been paying attention in the world.

The first time you load up Windows 10 its fairly obvious the OS is really just an advanced cash register program. The whole objective is to sell you crap directly thru your computer, bypassing the web browser completely. Everything is geared towards pushing you into purchases. You cant open anything you have or search for anything you may have without being pressured into another sale.

After this I think I'm going to Linux. Sure it may not run as many games, but at least it isnt forcing me to turn over my credit card a dozen times a day.

Strange, I haven't had to use my cc even once while using windows 10. Guess I'm using it wrong.

 

[13Gigatons]

Strange, I haven't had to use my cc even once while using windows 10. Guess I'm using it wrong.

That's the worst part, you spend money on a PC/phone/tablet and actually think "you" own it....but the companies own you.

 

[13Gigatons]

I want to go on record as saying that I don't support any company that spy's on people. Neither corporation nor Government should be doing this at all.

Facebook = no
Google = no
Microsoft = no
FBI = no
CIA = no
etc.

Every American has the RIGHT to privacy.
Every American has the RIGHT to privacy.
Every American has the RIGHT to privacy.

Why do Europeans get this and NOT Americans?

 

[Rifter]

I use pi-hole ad blocking on a rasperby pi I purchased and it works wonderfully as my dns server/ad blocking device.

Me to, its great, so no ads coming into my network from anywhere, they can data mine me all they want but the adds will never reach me.

 

[Crono]

I want to go on record as saying that I don't support any company that spy's on people. Neither corporation nor Government should be doing this at all.

Facebook = no
Google = no
Microsoft = no
FBI = no
CIA = no
etc.

Every American has the RIGHT to privacy.
Every American has the RIGHT to privacy.
Every American has the RIGHT to privacy.

Why do Europeans get this and NOT Americans?

The Germans remember what it's like to live under a police state.

 

[ImpulsE69]

It's okay. I'm sure it means nothing. Once the economy tanks no one will be able to afford electricity to run computers or phones anyway and they'll have to go back to the old way of having people tail you. You've got nothing to worry about.

Seriously, it is like people are too wrapped up in themselves to see a bigger picture. What seems benign now is called baby steps. You don't take over a population peacefully by knocking down the door and shooting them. Don't ever trust a corporation with any information you didn't explicitly give them, let alone the government. It does not matter if you are an angelic snowflake or not. Or were all those jews actually evil and got what they deserved? Because that sure sounds like what people are saying when they wave off any kind of privacy concerns. It IS a big deal because it sets precedent. This is the population that just voted in Trump, so I don't expect many to get it.

It is sad, but the reality is, since the masses accept it all without blinking an eye there is practically nothing the vocal few can do to curb it, without BEING VOCAL. You would have thought that The Fappening would have made some people think "hmm maybe this sharing everything on a cloud" would have raised some eyebrows, or the "rape streamed on facebook" etc. But nope..it just continues.

For the record..I pretty much only use a cellphone. Begrudgingly. I am not a doom and gloom person, I just pick and choose what I allow to be 'shared' and with who but see the reality of where this world is headed, and glad I'll probably be dead before the real shit hits the fan.

 

[clamum]

I've just got it turned on to Basic reporting and that's fine with me. I mean, sure, I'd rather not send them anything (though as a developer myself I understand how incredibly helpful precise, detailed error reporting is) but I'm OK with a basic level of reporting. I'll be the first to say "I was wrong" if reporting basic data somehow comes back to bite me in the ass, but I very highly doubt it.

 

[blackangst1]

If you dont like it, block it.

http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-disable-telemetry-and-data-collection-in-windows-10/

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Where are people seeing all these ads in windows 10?
Exempting the browser I've only had the occasional pop up about office 365, which pops up extremely rarely.
I don't see ads in the start up what are you people talking about

 

[Skel]

Where are people seeing all these ads in windows 10?
Exempting the browser I've only had the occasional pop up about office 365, which pops up extremely rarely.
I don't see ads in the start up what are you people talking about

That question keeps getting asked but I honestly don't recall ever once seeing an answer. I've only seen it in browser on web pages, or the random app. I've never once seen it in the OS itself.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

That question keeps getting asked but I honestly don't recall ever once seeing an answer. I've only seen it in browser on web pages, or the random app. I've never once seen it in the OS itself.

Maybe the bejeweled app suggestion? I forgot about that one but its not exactly in your face

 

[Red Squirrel]

Where are people seeing all these ads in windows 10?
Exempting the browser I've only had the occasional pop up about office 365, which pops up extremely rarely.
I don't see ads in the start up what are you people talking about

Out of the box there are ads throughout the start menu, though they are static (I think?) and can be removed. Apparently there are also ads in file explorer now. I'm sure they will continue adding more. Honestly from a business point of view, windows 10 is freaking genius. Google and Facebook can track and advertise to you on the internet, but Windows 10 can do it right on your PC. That means no matter what you are doing on your computer even if not on the internet, your actions can be tracked, categorized, and you can be advertised to based on those actions. This is better than porn, for advertisers.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I've just got it turned on to Basic reporting and that's fine with me. I mean, sure, I'd rather not send them anything (though as a developer myself I understand how incredibly helpful precise, detailed error reporting is) but I'm OK with a basic level of reporting. I'll be the first to say "I was wrong" if reporting basic data somehow comes back to bite me in the ass, but I very highly doubt it.

I agree with this. I have no qualms with useful data collection, but that isn't what we are talking about here.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I see no file explorer ads

 

[Svnla]

So the question will be, what can a user do to limit or eliminate the problem (snopping/data collection) in Win10? And "just don't use Win10/use <insert something>" answer will not work for me.

 

[Crono]

So the question will be, what can a user do to limit or eliminate the problem (snopping/data collection) in Win10? And "just don't use Win10/use <insert something>" answer will not work for me.

There are a ton of guides on how to limit collection beyond default in settings, further disable telemetry using 3rd party apps, and you can monitor traffic using Wireshark and control/limit outbound traffic using a firewall.