Win10 a spyware and trojan horse?

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cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Yeah, the driver thing is an issue already. The problem, as I see it, is that there are actually two changes:

1. Driver updates have turned into necessary updates, and
2. Necessary updates cannot be individually denied.

If you take off the first one, there really wouldn't be a big deal here.

I know people ignore it and say it doesn't work for them but I disabled driver software in the windows update options and I don't see new drivers appear. If I turn it back on I see them again.
 

DustinBrowder

Member
Jul 22, 2015
114
1
0
To be spyware or a Trojan horse, I'm pretty sure Windows would have to install itself automatically/surreptitiously and without your consent.

Win10 certainly does new things that some find questionable from a privacy point of view. An online debate about this is already well and truly underway.

Using dramatic language like this does little to help this debate along, IMHO

Dramatic language? Are you trolling, are you a paid Microsoft shill?

I'm like a concerned neighbor yelling and screaming fire, fire as the building is burning down and you are like a mentally ill nobody who is like "stop yelling, you are causing a disruption" as the building is burning down and about to get engulfed in flame!

It would be retarded, it would be absurd not to yell fire when the building is burning down!

Please stop calling folks shills. That isn't allowed.
admin allisolm
 
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Black Octagon

Golden Member
Dec 10, 2012
1,410
2
81
Dramatic language? Are you trolling, are you a paid Microsoft shill?

I'm like a concerned neighbor yelling and screaming fire, fire as the building is burning down and you are like a mentally ill nobody who is like "stop yelling, you are causing a disruption" as the building is burning down and about to get engulfed in flame!

It would be retarded, it would be absurd not to yell fire when the building is burning down!


No I am not.

In addition to diluting the meaning of 'spyware' and 'trojan horse'...you have now also diluted the meaning of 'shill' and 'retarded.'

The house is not burning down, but thanks for proving me right about you being overly dramatic.
 

Ramses

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2000
2,871
4
81
Dramatic language? Are you trolling, are you a paid Microsoft shill?

You know, nobody used to accuse people of that crap. I can't help think that it's some form of parroting, like popular slang or a catch phrase. And I can't decide if it's more comical or more sad coming from a guy that just joined and has all of 30 posts.

I miss anandtech from a decade ago.
 

stockwiz

Senior member
Sep 8, 2013
403
15
81
GLP effect. Everyone on forums these days are conspiracy nuts who think big brother is out to get them. :)
 

rchunter

Senior member
Feb 26, 2015
933
72
91
GLP effect. Everyone on forums these days are conspiracy nuts who think big brother is out to get them. :)

GLP effect? You sound like you're a member of GLP.... One of the biggest conspiracy nut forums on the internet. Hypocrite much? I bet you spend quite a bit of time there. lol. If you need to downplay the issue to make yourself feel more comfortable though you go right ahead.
 
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escrow4

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2013
3,339
122
106
Dramatic language? Are you trolling, are you a paid Microsoft shill?

I'm like a concerned neighbor yelling and screaming fire, fire as the building is burning down and you are like a mentally ill nobody who is like "stop yelling, you are causing a disruption" as the building is burning down and about to get engulfed in flame!

It would be retarded, it would be absurd not to yell fire when the building is burning down!

What does a burning building have to do with an OS and imagined privacy issues? :eek:
 

Black Octagon

Golden Member
Dec 10, 2012
1,410
2
81
I'm sure anyone on here who is genuinely concerned about privacy issues in Microsoft's latest OS will abandon Windows altogether.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,164
13,569
126
www.anyf.ca
GLP effect. Everyone on forums these days are conspiracy nuts who think big brother is out to get them. :)

Thanks to Edward Snowden we now know that the conspiracies about how the government watches us are now a reality. It's normal to be concerned about our privacy when we know the government and corporations are doing everything to take that away from us. Before Snowden released his info people were considered crazy to think everything we did was being tracked but now it's been revealed to be true.

So anything that can facilitate that further is definitely a concern.

Personally I try not to rely on any kind of proprietary software or hardware for my network. Hardware is a bit harder, I'm not going to start making my own cpus and motherboards and ram, but I definitely put open source software on it.

My biggest concern now days too is how apps on phones seem to all want access to your info. You can't really install anything without it needing all sorts of accesses. There really needs to be a more open platform for phones instead of just Android and IOS. But I guess that's hard because phones are riddled with patents to stop any competition from coming in.
 

stockwiz

Senior member
Sep 8, 2013
403
15
81
Time to switch to linux? Telemetry being installed to windows 7 and 8.1

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3068708


My prior post was half sarcasm, half real. I do in fact have privacy concerns just not to the degree of some of the posters on that popular messageboard I frequent. I do NOT like telemetry being forced onto older windows users, for example. I do not like the android platform for that one reason that all the apps get so many permissions so I rarely use any apps besides the basic web browsers. I don't care if they are just doing it to make money. Also apps with nonstop ads basically led me to give up on android gaming. I'm just too spoiled by the old school way of gaming on consoles and PC... plus the games themselves are just mediocre clones of older games mostly with a few exceptions.
 
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TeknoBug

Platinum Member
Oct 2, 2013
2,084
31
91
Time to switch to linux? Telemetry being installed to windows 7 and 8.1

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3068708


My prior post was half sarcasm, half real. I do in fact have privacy concerns just not to the degree of some of the posters on that popular messageboard I frequent. I do NOT like telemetry being forced onto older windows users, for example. I do not like the android platform for that one reason that all the apps get so many permissions so I rarely use any apps besides the basic web browsers. I don't care if they are just doing it to make money. Also apps with nonstop ads basically led me to give up on android gaming. I'm just too spoiled by the old school way of gaming on consoles and PC... plus the games themselves are just mediocre clones of older games mostly with a few exceptions.
I'm very selective with what apps I install on Android, at least it brings up a box telling you what the app you're about to install wants permissions on, if I download an emoji addon for texting and it wants my phone identity, call info, contact info, network info then I'm not downloading it. And yes gaming on Android blows, it's flooded with "freemium" games which are basically GPS tracking tools and shoves ads up your butt.

But MS installing data collection on older Windows? for god sake.
 

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51
On the Android scene, luckily Android M will start allowing you to disable access for certain apps (to your contacts, for example) during installation. Don't want to give that app a particular permission but still want to use it? Turn it off.

Now, this is up to the developer. But, if it's a possibility and a developer doesn't enable the option, I don't want anything to do with that app.
 

rchunter

Senior member
Feb 26, 2015
933
72
91
I'm very selective with what apps I install on Android,

Yeah, me too. The only thing I have on my android is Plex and a Yamaha app to control an amp. No facebook, no youtube, no social media. I use linux for probably 99% of my online activity.
 

ninaholic37

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2012
1,883
31
91
Disconnect from the internet. Problem solved. derps.
But Windows 10 was designed around metro ads and the store and how will they make money off users disconnecting is probably against the EULA ! gasp
 

DustinBrowder

Member
Jul 22, 2015
114
1
0
What does a burning building have to do with an OS and imagined privacy issues? :eek:
Did you finish elementary school? Its an analogy.

What is next, you don't know sarcasm or hyperbole? I'm truly sorry you are not properly educated.

I'm pointing out that Win10 does spy on you and act like a trojan/spyware since all of its default settings are to spy on you and some settings require huge knowledge to actually turn off, while some you can't even turn off.

The telemetry data can't be turned off, unless you are running enterprise level. You can limit it and do registry edits and stuff to limit it as much as possible, but you can't completely turn it off.

Again, this is how a trojan acts, it presents itself as useful software and then inject itself and can't be turned off or removed.

Please stop with the insults. Your post would have been fine without the first 4 sentences. Play nice or don't play at all.
admin allisolm
 
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Brian Stirling

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2010
3,964
2
0
M$ is going to have problems getting business and government customers to upgrade to or buy Win10 if they can't stop M$ from spying on them.

I've said this for years but when a major company gets away with this then sooner or later every company will seek to exploit this as well.

Decades ago the federal government would have put a stop to this right quick, but they want access to this as well so they let companies get away with it. In fact, government wants many of these companies to retain months or years of customer data for there spying needs.

Big Brother is a fact!


Brian
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Stop MS spying on them...man and I thought people who think everything came from Aliens were crazy.

It's nearly as bad as the whole thing about the Xbox One Kinect recording you. It doesn't happen.
 

escrow4

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2013
3,339
122
106
Did you finish elementary school? Its an analogy.

What is next, you don't know sarcasm or hyperbole? I'm truly sorry you are not properly educated.

I'm pointing out that Win10 does spy on you and act like a trojan/spyware since all of its default settings are to spy on you and some settings require huge knowledge to actually turn off, while some you can't even turn off.

The telemetry data can't be turned off, unless you are running enterprise level. You can limit it and do registry edits and stuff to limit it as much as possible, but you can't completely turn it off.

Again, this is how a trojan acts, it presents itself as useful software and then inject itself and can't be turned off or removed.

Please stop with the insults. Your post would have been fine without the first 4 sentences. Play nice or don't play at all.
admin allisolm

Kookoo:

-> Everytime you use a credit card online its tracked and likely stored. You can bet a $100 that your purchases are tracked - when, where, how many/much, if they change according to the weather whatever. If only for marketing purchases, never mind Five Eyes

-> Have a smartphone? Ever used an app store? Tracked!

-> Have a smartphone with GPS, wireless, and location services? Tracked x3 with cell tower triangulation to boot!

-> Even better how are you sure that smartphone isn't watching you right now with the camera and recording you with the microphone via a backdoor app you will never find? :D

-> Have a recent ish "smart" car? Tracked!

-> Have any online accounts - banking, insurance - ? Tracked!

See anyone jumping up and down about this?