Microsoft Admits Windows 10 Spying Cannot Be Disabled

[T3X4S]

the good thing about it ?

can't wait for dec 24, come here and see all pupets crying again, cause their micro company can't keep xbone and azure networks up and running ..

but but but ...

Huh ?  What is supposed to happen on Christmas Eve ?

 

[c.grz]

Yeah that's not gonna fly very well with hospitals and medical offices who store private patient information on their computers.

Important files should never be stored on workstations.  That's our company policy so I can imagine hospitals are much more strict with storing of patient files.

[Tomoko]

Windows 7 and 8/8.1 have the telemetry reporting added in an update.  I"m looking for a voat post about it. 

 

Those updates can be avoided though.

[Ulkesh]

If you're using a closed source MS OS you've already lost the privacy battle.  It's not a secure OS, guaranteed that it has NSA backdoors, and will call home whenever it feels like.  The settings included are just there to make you feel like you have control over it. 

If you're really worried about it, then switch to another OS.  You kind of accepted their ToS when you installed it.  That being said, the MS sheep in here defending MS saying 'its only telemetry data' should realize that there's no way to verify this because its all kept hidden from the user. 

But hey, if MS wants to see my gaming habits, that's fine.  It's inescapable in today's world if you want the conveniences of today's world.  Smartphones are spying on you, computers are, your appliances now.  If you want to give up all those fancy features for privacy, then that's the cost.  Some of those features are only possible because of the data collection. 

[T3X4S]

If you're using a closed source MS OS you've already lost the privacy battle.  It's not a secure OS, guaranteed that it has NSA backdoors, and will call home whenever it feels like.  The settings included are just there to make you feel like you have control over it. 

If you're really worried about it, then switch to another OS.  You kind of accepted their ToS when you installed it.  That being said, the MS sheep in here defending MS saying 'its only telemetry data' should realize that there's no way to verify this because its all kept hidden from the user. 

But hey, if MS wants to see my gaming habits, that's fine.  It's inescapable in today's world if you want the conveniences of today's world.  Smartphones are spying on you, computers are, your appliances now.  If you want to give up all those fancy features for privacy, then that's the cost.  Some of those features are only possible because of the data collection. 

So..... let me guess - linux is impervious to the NSA ?
 

[+devHead Subscriber²]

Sending back data without permission is a privacy violation full stop. Sending back data when the user doesn't want to is a privacy violation full stop. What the data contains is irrelevant, it's on your hard drives, it's your property, and they're sending it back without your permission.

Only if the data collected violates your privacy rights as a person, that is PII, or Personally Identifiable Information.  It's not; it's simply sending anonymous telemetry data regarding your machine.  What do you think, it's sending random pictures or music files or other documents or media so it can find out what you're doing or what you like?  This is why I can't believe the level of paranoid idiocy among some of the folks on this site.  This is why Microsoft has no problem admitting it - but unfortunately they don't fully comprehend the level of stupidity and paranoia people are capable of.  

Plus - NEWS FLASH - yes, everything on your PC is yours, except the software you've installed on it.  You don't buy your operating system, you purchase a license to use it.  And by installing it, you agree to the TOU that comes with it and any software.  Plus, THEY AREN'T SENDING DATA YOU'VE CREATED AND IS YOUR PROPERTY!!!  When will you get that into your head?

[Ulkesh]

So..... let me guess - linux is impervious to the NSA ?
 

No, but it gives you the power to control your data.  It's not going report anything back if you dont want it to.  You have open sourced standards for encryption so no backdoors. The user has to take responsibility for his data and the products he uses. 

[Ulkesh]

Only if the data collected violates your privacy rights as a person, that is PII, or Personally Identifiable Information.  It's not; it's simply sending anonymous telemetry data regarding your machine.  What do you think, it's sending random pictures or music files or other documents or media so it can find out what you're doing or what you like?  This is why I can't believe the level of paranoid idiocy among some of the folks on this site.  This is why Microsoft has no problem admitting it - but unfortunately they don't fully comprehend the level of stupidity and paranoia people are capable of.  

Plus - NEWS FLASH - yes, everything on your PC is yours, except the software you've installed on it.  You don't buy your operating system, you purchase a license to use it.  And by installing it, you agree to the TOU that comes with it and any software.  Plus, THEY AREN'T SENDING DATA YOU'VE CREATED AND IS YOUR PROPERTY!!!  When will you get that into your head?

It's not stupid to want to know whats being transmitted.  It's stupid to think you can trust companys that have lied to us many times in the past.  Governments and companys are purposely eroding at privacy any chance they get.  It's all about the baby steps.  I dont believe theyre taking files off my system (not that i'd care about my gaming data being lifted), but once that's acceptable then theyll move to something else.  How it always works. 

[runningnak3d]

Wow, it is amazing how many people on this thread will just take Microsoft's word for what is contained in the data. Has someone decrypted this data? Better yet, if it is innocuous, why is it encrypted to begin with?

On a different note -- the people on this thread that think that MS doesn't have a right to do this if you disable the telemetry ... read the EULA, they most certainly do. As a matter of fact, the way it is written, they have the right to ready ANYTHING you have stored on your machine.

Yea, but you (the ones that have installed this catastrophic failure of an OS) have nothing to hide -- so have fun!

[T3X4S]

Wow, it is amazing how many people on this thread will just take Microsoft's word for what is contained in the data. Has someone decrypted this data? Better yet, if it is innocuous, why is it encrypted to begin with?

On a different note -- the people on this thread that think that MS doesn't have a right to do this if you disable the telemetry ... read the EULA, they most certainly do. As a matter of fact, the way it is written, they have the right to ready ANYTHING you have stored on your machine.

Yea, but you (the ones that have installed this catastrophic failure of an OS) have nothing to hide -- so have fun!

Catastrophic failure ?  It was free and has been pretty popular for the masses (not to say the techies aren't happy with it) 
I am just pointing out your obvious hatred for Microsoft needs to be reeled in a little bit  - Is some shady crap going on  ?  Yes, it always has.
But to assume you know the reasons for things is naive.  Did you ever think the reason things are encrypted is because if it isnt - there are liabilities ?  Or the fact that things need to uphold certain criteria in terms of safeguarding and data transmission ?

I am just saying - you dont know all of the information, dont assume everything is so plain and obvious - it just means you dont know the details.

[pallentx]

 

Important files should never be stored on workstations.  That's our company policy so I can imagine hospitals are much more strict with storing of patient files.

Its never stored, but there are applications on the workstations that may retrieve it and view it, or print it. Again, even if its stored, those files are not what is being sent.

[Active.]

As far as I know the EU hasn't said anything about Windows 10 yet and, if it is so bad, I'm surprised they're silent, the EU is usually pretty zealous when it comes to privacy and personal data protection.

They're supposedly looking into it already. It takes time. But I can only assume they're going to have a field day with this.

[Noir Angel]

Catastrophic failure ?  It was free and has been pretty popular for the masses (not to say the techies aren't happy with it) 
I am just pointing out your obvious hatred for Microsoft needs to be reeled in a little bit  - Is some shady crap going on  ?  Yes, it always has.
But to assume you know the reasons for things is naive.  Did you ever think the reason things are encrypted is because if it isnt - there are liabilities ?  Or the fact that things need to uphold certain criteria in terms of safeguarding and data transmission ?

I am just saying - you dont know all of the information, dont assume everything is so plain and obvious - it just means you dont know the details.

Neither do you, so don't pretend you know what they're transmitting when you don't.

I don't see why it's bad to want control over what my computer does and doesn't send to a third party.

[T3X4S]

Neither do you, so don't pretend you know what they're transmitting when you don't.

I don't see why it's bad to want control over what my computer does and doesn't send to a third party.

I know I dont know - hence the reason for me not getting heated in this topic.  I'd like to know the truth - but I am completely, albeit blissfully, in the dark on this.

EDIT:  As a matter of fact - show me where I pretend to know what is going on ?  I simply threw up possibles - nothing more.

Only difference is I am not bashing or dismissing.  You are totally correct in wanting some say in your data - I would hope that wouldnt be argued.

I try to stop as much as I can as far as sending crap to 3rd parties


My post was simply to say - you dont know the details so its prudent to not jump to conclusions until the details are confirmed.  Otherwise its conspiracy theory fear-mongering.

[Noir Angel]

It's hard not to jump to conclusions when they gather data and take 4 months to even tell anyone that they're doing it. Maybe it is just diagnostic data, I don't know or care. What I do know is that while it's being done without an option for it to be turned off, I'm going to keep uninstalling the telemetry components. Like I said, what it's sending is besides the point. The fact that it's happening and can't be disabled is bad enough on its own. And burying it in a EULA written in legalese that you need a legal degree to decipher isn't a justification. I've got no objection to data being collected, but it shouldn't be done surreptitiously, it should be possible for users to opt out, and an exact breakdown of precisely what it is sending should be given.

[Gabe84]

They're supposedly looking into it already. It takes time. But I can only assume they're going to have a field day with this.

That's why somehow I wouldn't feel that threated by their data collection, because I know the EU will intervene should this data collection be excessive, also because I'm on Linux, but I live in the Microsoft ecosystem, I use their services and I'm going to buy a Lumia in the next few days, and I do this because I feel that Google's privacy policies are too intrusive.

[Active.]

 I know the EU will intervene should this data collection be excessive

It's often already too late at that point. The tech companies are testing their limits. Google, Facebook et al operate by the rule that that it's better  to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission

[Order_66]

Well obviously Microsoft is looking at personal files, that's how they know people are storing 'movie collections' on onedrive (RIP) so it goes to reason that if they're spying on your cloud then it wouldn't be paranoia to not trust them with telemetry.

[simplezz]

lol @ the Microsoft apologists in this thread. You're really defending the mass surveillance of users? Next you'll be telling us the NSA's heart is in the right place. Sheesh!

[0sit0]

I know the data is probably not much but with Comcast being greedy and capping data in the South there HAS to be an option to disable it (besides firewalls etc)

[+devHead Subscriber²]

 

It's not stupid to want to know whats being transmitted.  It's stupid to think you can trust companys that have lied to us many times in the past.  Governments and companys are purposely eroding at privacy any chance they get.  It's all about the baby steps.  I dont believe theyre taking files off my system (not that i'd care about my gaming data being lifted), but once that's acceptable then theyll move to something else.  How it always works. 

I didn't say it was stupid to want to know what's being transmitted, but Microsoft already has said what's being transmitted.  What is stupid is asserting that any telemetry data their receiving from PCs is some sort of privacy invasion.  And just because some companies have lied in the past doesn't mean that now they all do, and everything they're doing is in violation of your privacy rights.  Why on earth would Microsoft do that?  What do they have to gain?  Being paranoid because it makes people feel that their not being gullible and no other reason is ignorant and misguided.  And, they're not taking files off your system!  At least not your personal files.  And I guess if it's stupid not to distrust all companies everywhere, then I'm not as smart as I think I am.

[+devHead Subscriber²]

I know the data is probably not much but with Comcast being greedy and capping data in the South there HAS to be an option to disable it (besides firewalls etc)

What do you think, they're uploading 100 MB of data a week or something?  Their servers couldn't handle that.  You're talking about data in the KBs.

[+devHead Subscriber²]

lol @ the Microsoft apologists in this thread. You're really defending the mass surveillance of users? Next you'll be telling us the NSA's heart is in the right place. Sheesh!

It's not mass surveillance.  Heck, you think just because some people are paranoid cynics that makes them apologists?  It's hip and fashionable to distrust everyone, so here's a reason for all these folks that need to distrust Microsoft have jumped on.  It's not being an apologist, it's just using some basic logic.

[Zinomian]

Going to add my two cents here...  I do not think for a second that MS is sending some crazy data or information about me to their servers, or allowing the NSA to "spy" on me, or that MS is doing so, or that by sending telemetry they are violating my privacy, HOWEVER, I do agree with the portion of this argument that there should be a choice about your computer doing certain things on its own without your control.  

What if I simply do not want to send data out, just because I am just a complete annoying person? nothing more, nothing less....I just don't want to.  Shouldn't the OS provide that choice? I would like to think so, and hope they do.....At least if it isn't possible because of technical reasons, to at least be open about it, and inform the user (I personally HATE being kept in the dark, but that's just me), but regardless, the choice should be mine.

I also agree, that if we simply ignore the issue at hand, that it could lead to companies like MS, to perhaps in the future, transmit more personal data, simply because of "well, the user didnt complaint before, so lets just do it".  Thinking that this doesn't happen here or there with governments and private entities is to simply be naive, it does happen.  Perhaps, it doesn't to the extent that some conspiracy people would try to lead you to, or tell you that the sky is falling, and wear your "tin hats", but I would say, it does happen.

Ultimately, we are using a "licensed" product, and once we agreed to their EULA, we agreed that X company can do what is said on the EULA, even if that is some what unfair, etc, but one could hope that such big companies like MS would be interested in providing their user base decent controls of the OS or services they provide so that people who DO have issues with privacy etc, could be happy.

bleh...i guess there is no happy medium, is there?

[remixedcat]

I hope Microsoft collects so much data that the amount of data generated is not worth the bandwidth and storage costs anymore.

This is prolly the reason they decreased everyone's onedrive storage!!