By downloading Windows 10 you are allowing Microsoft to spy on you

Downloading Windows 10? Here are a few things you should know about

Windows 10 : Privacy issues that come with it and PDF Manual for understanding the Microsoft’s new Operating System

Window 10 has finally arrived on many users PC/Laptops and they must be busy exploring the Microsoft’s latest offering. There are a lot of things users of Windows 10 should be aware of, and one of them is privacy while other is understanding the features of Windows 10.

We had already warned you that Windows 10 Technical Preview, when it was launched, was a keeping track of everything the beta tester did within the operating system. However as it was a TP, Microsoft had a right to know about the behaviour of its operating system through user feedback before the final product launch.

But now, Microsoft has released the final version of Windows 10 and it has come out with a brand new Privacy Policy and Service Agreement which users should carefully read to know about the implications of privacy if they use Windows 10.

The Privacy Policy will go into effect from 1st August and here are a few controversial points which you should know about.

First of all by downloading and installing Windows 10, you give Microsoft very broad power to collect things you do, say and create while using its software. The data collection is quite ambiguous but one thing is certain, Windows 10 will be reporting back many things that you do, to the Microsoft servers back at Redmond.

Data syncing by default

Microsoft will sync settings and data by default with its servers. This includes your browser history, favorites and the websites you currently have open as well as saved app, website and mobile hotspot passwords and Wi-Fi network names and passwords. This is pretty much like how Google Chrome sync works, however, if you are not comfortable with sharing your usage habits you can deactivate it from settings.

Cortana

As with the Windows 10 Technical Preview, the Microsoft’s personal virtual assistant, Cortana is a online snooping antennae for Microsoft. Which means it shares everything you do when you use it. However you have allow it to do just that because ironically it cant function in all its glory without collecting such data. Microsoft privacy statement is quite indicative of this fact :

To enable Cortana to provide personalized experiences and relevant suggestions, Microsoft collects and uses various types of data, such as your device location, data from your calendar, the apps you use, data from your emails and text messages, who you call, your contacts and how often you interact with them on your device.

Cortana also learns about you by collecting data about how you use your device and other Microsoft services, such as your music, alarm settings, whether the lock screen is on, what you view and purchase, your browse and Bing search history, and more.”

Advertising ID :

Windows 10 generates a unique advertising ID for each user on each device. That can be used by developers and ad networks to profile you and serve commercial content. Like data sync, you can turn this off in the Setting menu > Privacy> general > Change privacy option

Disabling all the buttons in the Change privacy options will opt you out from the Microsoft advertising network.

Encryption key backed up to OneDrive

Another one of those necessary requisites but the one that you should be aware of. When device encryption is turned on, Windows 10 automatically encrypts the drive its installed on and generates a BitLocker recovery key. That’s backed up to your OneDrive account.

You empower Microsoft to disclose your data once you download Windows 10

Read this part carefully. Upon agreeing to the service agreement and privacy policy you basically allow Microsoft to disclose your data to anyone it wishes to. Though realistically that may never happen but this is one controversial aspect of the privacy policy.

We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to protect our customers or enforce the terms governing the use of the services.

Windows 10 Manual for understanding the working of the new operating system :

We would also like to present to you a PDF manual prepared by Lenovo on STARTING TO USE WINDOWS 10.  The manual gives a elaborative tutorial of basic use of Windows 10 and its features.

0

18 COMMENTS

  1. How about a followup on what can be done to protect our privacy. Can we modify the hosts.txt file or block egress traffic to certain microsoft domains on the firewall to prevent windows from sharing our info, etc

  2. Yeah, that’s the real issue here, understanding what is being used and what purpose it is being used for.

    Microsoft is not selling your information to other people, unlike other companies. It needs the info to provide the services that people would like to use. And as stated in the article, turning off that functionality will keep your data on your computer. But at that point, why be on the Internet at all? Going to a website will provide that site with information already…

    It’s about being smart, not being reactionary or scared. FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) are rampant on the internet, don’t fall victim to it.

    • Dennis, your comment is by far the best reaction to all of this and I agree with you 100% All of the concerns people are having are actually happening already, we are all still living and carrying on as normal. FUD is definitely the mind-set I am seeing here.

    • Ever heard of tor or vpns? Just cause you have an internet connection dosent mean your automatically give away all your personal info. And last i checked going to websites dont take your full name and address. Nor does it take your private files or read you emails, text messages, record your phone calls, or anything else windows is doing. Go back to your NSA classes and freshin up on your facts and the real world before you get on here spouting shit.

      • Just because you use Tor or VPNs doesn’t mean you’re anonymous. Windows 10 will send your usage data, searches, browser history, purchases etc. to Microsoft with your account ID and install ID. Better yet, if you have set that VPN as your default route, at that point you are de-anonymized because identifying information came right out of the VPN endpoint…

        Did you read Microsoft’s licensing terms quoted in the article: “We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders…”

  3. All companies collect data. Usage data drives innovation, product improvement and advances in consumer protection.Unnecessary fear and paranoia hinder progress. Consider all opinions, make decisions for yourself based on fact vs. emotion. Be weary of overly negative unsubstantiated propaganda

    • Usage data is a far cry from having full access to the contents of your computer. I would urge you to be wary of overly positive unsubstantiated propaganda.

  4. Please forgive my naive question, but does this mean Microsoft can literally go into the private files & folders on my computer and look/snoop at them if they so wish?

  5. Here’s some woo-woo fun for you.

    Okay let’s give this product for free so as many people as possible will have it. Then the test, how far will they let us go with security and privacy issues? What if they rebel ? That’s the best part, you see there are going to be problems we’ve made sure of that, frustration , anger, then the drop. We’re going to crash it, all of it, can you guess what comes next? Request and then approval of mandatory internet monitoring and all the security and privacy issues much like after 9/11 will become permanent and will not change. They’ll get used to it they always do.they won’t even remember what it was like before, and the next generation won’t know anything else. Nice huh?

  6. “We had already warned you that Windows 10 Technical Preview, when it was launched, was a keeping track of everything the beta tester did within the operating system. However as it was a TP, Microsoft had a right to know about the behaviour of its operating system through user feedback before the final product launch.”

    I’ve been warning people since the very first beta of Windows Vista that there are indeed background services that monitor your keystrokes, collect and send all your activity info to MS. You can’t disable the monitoring on an OS designed to spy on you. It’s common sense. This is why Vista had so many issues to begin with. The memory would be running two programs and once, the one you use and the one that watches you which is why there were so many memory crashes in the beginning. This was all fixed in Windows 7 making it an efficient working spying OS. Windows XP needed the user to go out of his way to install ethernet drivers just to connect to the internet which is why I trust Windows XP. Windows XP respects freedom and privacy which is why MS is so pushy in making you upgrade. They have no control if you’re on XP. No forced updates. Today they are intentionally crippling software not to work on XP to force everyone to upgrade. I’ll give up using my PC altogether the day XP comes completely incompatible. XP is the best OS ever made. It’s solid and reliable because it works without any background services that monitor you. It was designed during a time when PC still stood for “Personal Computer”, not “Public Computer”.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Read More

Suggested Post