Microsoft Has No Plans To Change Windows 10 Privacy Settings

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For all of you that thought this sounded too good to be true, apparently it was. :(

My sources tell me there are no such plans and that there is no such statement. Executives believe that existing privacy controls are reasonable for consumers and there's no need for a drastic change. All of my sources declined to speak on the record, but based on their comments I found the most likely explanation for Mr. Kelly's confusion.
 
Forbes got a tech story wrong. Surprise Surprise... They're a business and financial news institution people...
 
Still running 7 pro. I apply the Windows updates then immediately run Destroy Windows Spying. I can no longer access Bing images but other than that, it hasn't caused any problems. For insurance, I keep up to two weeks of daily SSD images for each computer using macrium reflect.

http://dws.wzor.net
 
WetMacula said:
Still running 7 pro. I apply the Windows updates then immediately run Destroy Windows Spying. I can no longer access Bing images but other than that, it hasn't caused any problems. For insurance, I keep up to two weeks of daily SSD images for each computer using macrium reflect.

http://dws.wzor.net
Click to expand...

Very nice, will run this asap.
 
WetMacula said:
Still running 7 pro. I apply the Windows updates then immediately run Destroy Windows Spying. I can no longer access Bing images but other than that, it hasn't caused any problems. For insurance, I keep up to two weeks of daily SSD images for each computer using macrium reflect.

http://dws.wzor.net
Click to expand...

Yes, thank you for macrium. But... what is this "bing" you speak of? ;)
 
Or, I need hits on my page so I will say the other guy is wrong. You know, unnamed sources told me so.....:rolleyes: Must have been the other guy was confused, yeah, that's it. *Sigh* How about we wait and see what is going to happen, hummm?
 
I agree, as a consumer there is no need for me to change, I'll keep running Fedora. Thanks for reminding me MS!
 
It's always fun to see the people sticking with Windows 7 because of "telemetry" issues in Windows 10, while lining up to get that new iPhone or Android phone as soon as it's released. The phones track just as much if not more than anything in Windows 10, but hey, phones are trendy and so is bashing Windows 10. Who needs logic?
 
GotNoRice said:
It's always fun to see the people sticking with Windows 7 because of "telemetry" issues in Windows 10, while lining up to get that new iPhone or Android phone as soon as it's released. The phones track just as much if not more than anything in Windows 10, but hey, phones are trendy and so is bashing Windows 10. Who needs logic?
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In before people claim the logical fallacy argument. :D Honestly, the folks here are the minority regardless of what we like to think of ourselves. Ultimately, whatever a person wants to use on their computer is fine with me but, I am using Windows 10 Pro as my host OS exclusively since there is no point to use anything else. (I do use VM's though since I am in IT.)
 
GotNoRice said:
It's always fun to see the people sticking with Windows 7 because of "telemetry" issues in Windows 10, while lining up to get that new iPhone or Android phone as soon as it's released. The phones track just as much if not more than anything in Windows 10, but hey, phones are trendy and so is bashing Windows 10. Who needs logic?
Click to expand...

For the last time its all about risk management and risk acceptance. I allow my phones to spy on me because I know they're doing it and for convenience so Maps and other things work.

There is zero fucking reason MS needs to spy on me. Its like saying you're okay with a cop following you around waiting for you to speed, and it doesn't matter that they're watching your every move because your phone is already doing it for them.
 
GotNoRice said:
It's always fun to see the people sticking with Windows 7 because of "telemetry" issues in Windows 10, while lining up to get that new iPhone or Android phone as soon as it's released. The phones track just as much if not more than anything in Windows 10, but hey, phones are trendy and so is bashing Windows 10. Who needs logic?
Click to expand...

I don't do anything on my except phone calls and a few texts. Two games. And no, I don't get the newest phone. Thanks for throwing me into your grouping. I could care less. Does the Android operating system itself do these things? Last I saw, it was only the apps you download that say they get your first born. You get to choose whether or not you allow them.

In Windows 10, you have no choice. You are unable to use your computer, or are forced to use Linux. Since Microsoft has cornered the game market, what am I supposed to do with all these games I purchased or want to be able to play in the future?

Just because "everyone else does it", doesn't mean it's ok. If everyone else is told to jump off a bridge, does that mean you will? Or do your own way, like with a parachute or bungee?
 
As I mentioned in the other thread, normal people really don't care a jot about the telemetry.

They have all been using browsers, smartphones and tablets for the past 5 years that all monitor and send usage data back so why worry now?
 
daglesj said:
As I mentioned in the other thread, normal people really don't care a jot about the telemetry.

They have all been using browsers, smartphones and tablets for the past 5 years that all monitor and send usage data back so why worry now?
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Right or wrong this is a key point especially as smartphones have become the new PCs. The expectation is that a smartphone have certain capabilities, such as voice input, data synching to the cloud, location awareness, etc. Data is constantly being shared and leveraged to provide more features and convenience. Again, right or wrong, these are normal, modern expectations of today's PCs.

The problem for Windows is that it's old tech that was originally designed in a world with devices that had no external connectivity and used no external services. Everything was self-contained and local. This is simply not how it works anymore.
 
ShagnWagn said:
I don't do anything on my except phone calls and a few texts. Two games. And no, I don't get the newest phone. Thanks for throwing me into your grouping. I could care less. Does the Android operating system itself do these things? Last I saw, it was only the apps you download that say they get your first born. You get to choose whether or not you allow them.

In Windows 10, you have no choice. You are unable to use your computer, or are forced to use Linux. Since Microsoft has cornered the game market, what am I supposed to do with all these games I purchased or want to be able to play in the future?

Just because "everyone else does it", doesn't mean it's ok. If everyone else is told to jump off a bridge, does that mean you will? Or do your own way, like with a parachute or bungee?
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Thank you! My point exactly!

The phone analogy never works and it is a pure effort to derail by interjecting some random thing into the conversation, just to try and prove their point. Monkey see, monkey do is not a valid defense.
 
heatlesssun said:
Again, right or wrong, these are normal, modern expectations of today's PCs.

The problem for Windows is that it's old tech that was originally designed in a world with devices that had no external connectivity and used no external services. Everything was self-contained and local. This is simply not how it works anymore.
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You're so cute! I just want to watch these responses like the spinning YouTube balls of buffering. Circular be circular. Cause I don't know anyone, young or old, that expects any PC or laptop for that matter to have Cortana do their bidding. But, oh, so not to the point, powershell commands can remove modern apps from Windows 10 if one so desires. There's virtually no reason MS can't include these options. But, I guess these are normal, modern expectations of today's Windows.
 
Shotglass01 said:
You're so cute! I just want to watch these responses like the spinning YouTube balls of buffering. Circular be circular. Cause I don't know anyone, young or old, that expects any PC or laptop for that matter to have Cortana do their bidding. But, oh, so not to the point, powershell commands can remove modern apps from Windows 10 if one so desires. There's virtually no reason MS can't include these options. But, I guess these are normal, modern expectations of today's Windows.
Click to expand...

Fortunately or unfortunately, you are in a ever dwindling minority.

Most people have bigger battles to fight right now. Consider yourself lucky I guess.
 
ShagnWagn said:
I don't do anything on my except phone calls and a few texts. Two games. And no, I don't get the newest phone. Thanks for throwing me into your grouping. I could care less. Does the Android operating system itself do these things? Last I saw, it was only the apps you download that say they get your first born. You get to choose whether or not you allow them.

In Windows 10, you have no choice. You are unable to use your computer, or are forced to use Linux. Since Microsoft has cornered the game market, what am I supposed to do with all these games I purchased or want to be able to play in the future?

Just because "everyone else does it", doesn't mean it's ok. If everyone else is told to jump off a bridge, does that mean you will? Or do your own way, like with a parachute or bungee?
Click to expand...

I agree with everything your statement about android not spying on you without apps. This is not true at all.

This is exactly why I gave up on smartphones. People actually pay for their own spying.
 
heatlesssun said:
Right or wrong this is a key point especially as smartphones have become the new PCs. The expectation is that a smartphone have certain capabilities, such as voice input, data synching to the cloud, location awareness, etc. Data is constantly being shared and leveraged to provide more features and convenience. Again, right or wrong, these are normal, modern expectations of today's PCs.

The problem for Windows is that it's old tech that was originally designed in a world with devices that had no external connectivity and used no external services. Everything was self-contained and local. This is simply not how it works anymore.
Click to expand...

What if a user doesn't want to utilize those always connected services? What if they don't want that telemetry information sent? You can turn off Cortana and other services, but apparently, things aren't entirely turned off.

There should be an "all-off" ability to where you're running a flat, non-connected OS with DX12 and other Windows 10 features. No Cortana, no build-in web search, etc.. It's just a basic OS. It won't happen, though. Microsoft is gaining too much with what they have.

MOST people really don't give a shit or really care enough to do anything about it. But, there are a few that really want it. If this stuff can be big on Forbes, it's definitely more than just the few people on [H] that are concerned.
 
Ur_Mom said:
What if a user doesn't want to utilize those always connected services? What if they don't want that telemetry information sent? You can turn off Cortana and other services, but apparently, things aren't entirely turned off.

There should be an "all-off" ability to where you're running a flat, non-connected OS with DX12 and other Windows 10 features. No Cortana, no build-in web search, etc.. It's just a basic OS. It won't happen, though. Microsoft is gaining too much with what they have.

MOST people really don't give a shit or really care enough to do anything about it. But, there are a few that really want it. If this stuff can be big on Forbes, it's definitely more than just the few people on [H] that are concerned.
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The basic issue really is should Microsoft offer the same capabilities turn off all data transmissions to Microsoft servers to all users as it does for the Enterprise and Education editions when connected to a domain. Most of that is from what I've read in the Microsoft docs and seen of the "anti-spying" tools is there. However to fully disable all the transmissions you have to turn off some very important stuff like Windows Defender and Windows Update.

I am not arguing that Microsoft shouldn't offer these things. But the basic telemetry as described by Microsoft really has no value from an individual perspective. If one is hyper-paranoid about it, think it contains personal files and data or credit card numbers, ok there's nothing one can say to those folks and all they want is an off switch.

At the end of the days it's a silly debate. Most people have far more to worry about from local malware attacking and stealing sensitive data or getting very personal and private data stolen from a 3rd party. The hardware and software configuration settings of Windows PC isn't worth a cup of piss when you can buy real personal data for about two cups of piss these days.

Working at a big bank, we put a value rating on data. Not all data is created equal and of the same value. Again, not saying that people shouldn't have the ability to shut it all off but even if you do it's not going to make that much of difference. There's far more valuable data out there to used against you.
 
ShagnWagn said:
Does the Android operating system itself do these things?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. Though you are in the majority among phone users that are completely clueless to this stuff happening in the background. Ironically, all of the options Windows 10 gives to turn off most of the tracking when you do an install likely contributed to much of the anger against Windows 10. If it just kept everything enabled and simply didn't give you a choice (Like Android and iOS phones do) perhaps less people would complain? Ignorance is bliss?

ShagnWagn said:
Just because "everyone else does it", doesn't mean it's ok.
Click to expand...

Correct, and I never implied that it was OK. The issue is the lack of consistency, and in many cases viewpoints that are quite frankly hypocritical. For the better part of a decade now people have been throwing their money at smartphones/tablets hand over fist. No one has given the slightest shit about any tracking that phones/tablets do. The market has spoken, and people have voted with their wallets. And then people wonder why other companies begin to follow in their footsteps? :confused:

If you (not directed at anyone in particular) don't like tracking, then great. Oppose it. Just don't sit there and bash Microsoft while fondling your phone all day long as if the tracking problem is somehow limited to Microsoft and PCs.
 
heatlesssun said:
Again, not saying that people shouldn't have the ability to shut it all off but even if you do it's not going to make that much of difference. There's far more valuable data out there to used against you.
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No, it won't make a lot of difference to the end user. But, they'd be in control of their communications. That's what they want.

Does it matter? Probably not. The data is anonymous, worthless to anyone but Microsoft analysts. But, I just can't say "Well, it's not really meaningful data, so we're just going to take it.". There should be that option to disable it.
 
Ur_Mom said:
No, it won't make a lot of difference to the end user. But, they'd be in control of their communications. That's what they want.

Does it matter? Probably not. The data is anonymous, worthless to anyone but Microsoft analysts. But, I just can't say "Well, it's not really meaningful data, so we're just going to take it.". There should be that option to disable it.
Click to expand...

I agree. There's just those that will make more of it than there is and sure Microsoft should accommodate them. But that doesn't mean that everything these people are saying is correct.
 
heatlesssun said:
I agree. There's just those that will make more of it than there is and sure Microsoft should accommodate them. But that doesn't mean that everything these people are saying is correct.
Click to expand...

Probably more correct than you are, and I am busting your nuts explicitly, because I looked you up on Ancestry.com and found that virtually every female member of your family had the right of Prima Noctae used against them by the entire Microsoft corporate. It's the only explanation I have as to why you believe all of Microsoft's decisions are correct. :p

I do use W10 and I have pulled some apps with powershell. I do, very much like actually, the auto-updating. It's nice not to have to think about it. I am not concerned about the telemetry they collect. That said, it's still their own ignorance that they don't include these options, which they can very easily, clearly communicate what they gather, or both. They've been writing this code for what 20, 25+ years? Yea, I'm quite certain they know what they can pull and what they can't and know what impacts that would likely have.
 
What is the most amusing thing about this whole telemetry debacle, is if MS actually had put in an off switch probably less than 3% of their users would disable all the telemetry, and most people even die hard privacy people like me would have already installed Win 10.

The most retarded thing about this whole debacle is with all the bad press they got, and more and more people willing to go and switch to other OSes and/or just stick to Win 7 forever, just putting in a off switch for telemetry would have gotten a good majority of the hold outs to upgrade. At the same time I would bet money that less than 3% of those people would even turn off the telemetry settings in the end other than to do it and test to see if it was really truly off.
 
GotNoRice said:
If you (not directed at anyone in particular) don't like tracking, then great. Oppose it. Just don't sit there and bash Microsoft while fondling your phone all day long as if the tracking problem is somehow limited to Microsoft and PCs.
Click to expand...

Thank you. But isn't starting with Microsoft a starting point? Where else or what other venue are we supposed to start it in? Perhaps it can start with Microsoft and break out to other venues. It seems as though the crowd has spoken "We have had enough!".
 
heatlesssun said:
I agree. There's just those that will make more of it than there is and sure Microsoft should accommodate them. But that doesn't mean that everything these people are saying is correct.
Click to expand...


Perception is reality. For the 50,000,000,000,000,000th time, any data collection done unless there is a problem, is a problem.
 
LurkerLito said:
What is the most amusing thing about this whole telemetry debacle, is if MS actually had put in an off switch probably less than 3% of their users would disable all the telemetry, and most people even die hard privacy people like me would have already installed Win 10.
Click to expand...
There's a problem with the usage of the word telemetry, especially with the 2 or 3 people here who always try to tie it to a single thing (crash logs). It's much worse than that. Not only is application usage tracked (including exactly how it's used), but things typed in the search box are too, along with continual contact with various MS services, even if 1) the service which connects to it is disabled in the OS and 2) privacy settings are set to not do that.

The implications are that MS has turned Windows into an OS that continually checks in with MS and transmits all sorts of private data for collection and usage by MS and anyone else MS cooperates with without due process. It's a privacy nightmare and dopes are happy about it.
 
Its very unfortunate that this all stems from a Forbe's article that is highly suspect when it comes to facts and clarity on the subject.

MS has been collecting usage data for a long time, way before Windows 10, even before Windows 7. The only difference now is that we are in the age of connected services and features that rely on cloud data to work properly. The demand for such features has led to this privacy nightmare. Microsoft is having to find that balance of control for the end user and collecting data needed to provide services that customers like on competing platforms.

Microsoft obviously cares about getting the balance right, why else start with such an extensive privacy section to the OS, allowing the end user to educate themselves on what it all means. If any of those controls are not working properly, then it should be pointed out and Microsoft needs to fix the issue. If people demand more control, then Microsoft should definitely do what it can to provide, even if this is a standard not applied to competing platforms.

People may be willing to allow all sorts of control via Android or iOS, but Windows carries a different set of rules and expectations. One of those expectations is end user control. Microsoft must both compete with the features of other platforms and offer far more control for the end user then those competing platforms. Its a very tough spot, but if they at least remain clear about what data is used for, correct any bugs in privacy options, and continue to develop more options for users, things should settle down.

I just hope users are willing to educate themselves on the topic and when Microsoft does offer options, they take advantage of them.
 
pxc said:
Not only is application usage tracked (including exactly how it's used), but things typed in the search box are too, along with continual contact with various MS services, even if 1) the service which connects to it is disabled in the OS and 2) privacy settings are set to not do that.
Click to expand...

Cortana

Use either Group Policy or MDM policies to manage settings for Cortana. For more info, see Cortana, Search, and privacy: FAQ.

Cortana Group Policies

Find the Cortana Group Policy objects under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.


Policy

Description


Allow Cortana

Choose whether to let Cortana install and run on the device.

Default: Enabled


Allow search and Cortana to use location

Choose whether Cortana and Search can provide location-aware search results.

Default: Enabled


Do not allow web search

Choose whether to search the web from Windows Desktop Search.

Default: Disabled


Don't search the web or display web results in Search

Choose whether to search the web from Cortana.

Default: Disabled


Set what information is shared in Search

Control what information is shared with Bing in Search.




When you enable the Don't search the web or display web results in Search Group Policy, you can control the behavior of whether Cortana searches the web to display web results. However, this policy only covers whether or not web search is performed. There could still be a small amount of network traffic to Bing.com to evaluate if certain Cortana components are up-to-date or not. In order to turn off that network activity completely, you can create a Windows Firewall rule to prevent outbound traffic.

1.Expand Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Windows Firewall with Advanced Security > Windows Firewall with Advanced Security - <LDAP name>, and then click Outbound Rules.


2.Right-click Outbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Outbound Rule Wizard starts.


3.On the Rule Type page, click Program, and then click Next.


4.On the Program page, click This program path, type %windir%\systemapps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\SearchUI.exe, and then click Next.


5.On the Action page, click Block the connection, and then click Next.


6.On the Profile page, ensure that the Domain, Private, and Public check boxes are selected, and then click Next.


7.On the Name page, type a name for the rule, such as Cortana firewall configuration, and then click Finish.


8.Right-click the new rule, click Properties, and then click Protocols and Ports.


9.Configure the Protocols and Ports page with the following info, and then click OK.

&#9702;For Protocol type, choose TCP.


&#9702;For Local port, choose All Ports.


&#9702;For Remote port, choose All ports.
Click to expand...

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt577208(v=vs.85).aspx#BKMK_MoreUTC.
 
heatlesssun said:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt577208(v=vs.85).aspx#BKMK_MoreUTC.
Click to expand...


That is some very useful info. Hopefully those that want more control will use these options. Ultimately, this is the kind of info that needs to spread around whenever possible. As always with windows, there is a way to get what you want done. Maybe its not a pretty toggle switch, but since when have people shied away from getting their hands dirty if its an option important to them.
 
pxc said:
There's a problem with the usage of the word telemetry, especially with the 2 or 3 people here who always try to tie it to a single thing (crash logs). It's much worse than that. Not only is application usage tracked (including exactly how it's used), but things typed in the search box are too, along with continual contact with various MS services, even if 1) the service which connects to it is disabled in the OS and 2) privacy settings are set to not do that.
Click to expand...

According to MS, if you set telemetry to the lowest level: 'Basic' this is the information they get:

Configuration data, including the manufacturer of your device, model, number of processors, display size and resolution, date, region and language settings, and other data about the capabilities of the device.

The software (including drivers and firmware supplied by device manufacturers), installed on the device.

Performance and reliability data, such as how quickly programs respond to input, how many problems you experience with an app or device, or how quickly information is sent or received over a network connection.

Network and connection data, such as the device’s IP address, number of network connections in use, and data about the networks you connect to, such as mobile networks, Bluetooth, and identifiers (BSSID and SSID), connection requirements and speed of Wi-Fi networks you connect to.

Other hardware devices connected to the device.
Click to expand...

Source: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/feedback-diagnostics-privacy-faq

It seems to me that every other privacy invading thing 10 does you can disable with windows settings or you can avoid by just not using the sub-feature of windows that its attached to. If you're running Enterprise variants of 10 you can also completely disable the telemetry with a group policy.
 
WetMacula said:
Still running 7 pro. I apply the Windows updates then immediately run Destroy Windows Spying. I can no longer access Bing images but other than that, it hasn't caused any problems. For insurance, I keep up to two weeks of daily SSD images for each computer using macrium reflect.

http://dws.wzor.net
Click to expand...
I ran this on windows 7 and it wiped out service pack 1. Why do I always have to learn the hard way
 
Just use OS X for everything... :)

I game on my PC, no other data or usage on it. My rMBP gets used for everything else.
 
i can't understand the worrying, what can Micro do with your data? what???? is not like we're storing nuclear plans and doomsday scenarios...imo
 
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