France targets Windows 10 Telemetry

[Yogurth]

"France orders Microsoft to stop tracking Windows 10 users

 

Data protection authority gives Microsoft three months to comply with French privacy laws

By Amar Toor

 

on July 21, 2016 04:27 am

 

France's data protection commission has ordered Microsoft to "stop collecting excessive user data" and to stop tracking the web browsing of Windows 10 users without their consent. In a notice published on Wednesday, the CNIL said that Microsoft must also take steps to guarantee "the security and confidentiality" of its users' personal information, after determining that the company was still transferring data to the US under the "Safe Harbor" agreement that an EU court invalidated in October. Microsoft has three months to comply with the orders, the CNIL said."

 

 

Source

[Yogurth]

Some of us will probably move to French version of Windows 10, when Microsoft complies as announced by  Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel David Heiner. GoGo France

[+Biscuits Brown MVC]

Not that I disagree (ALL tracking should be able to be disabled by the user), but did France demand the same from Google/Android and Apple iOS because unlike Win10, they not only track what you do but where you do it.

[Torolol]

eh, just like the "N" edition before, Microsoft gonna release Windows 10 "F" version

[Raa]

8 minutes ago, Torolol said:

eh, just like the "N" edition before, Microsoft gonna release Windows 10 "F" version

That's Fine with me.

[+devHead Subscriber²]

If the telemetry data can be harvested and tracked back to a specific individual by someone at Microsoft (or sold to a third party), then I would have an issue with that, especially if I had no control over what was shared.  But if not - if it's data that's simply sifted by software that uses algorithms to determine what kinds of ads to deliver or apps to recommend on the store, it's no real big whoop to me.  But these Frenchies obviously have more information than me.  

[adrynalyne]

Do they plan on enforcing restrictions on 7, 8, and 8.1 as well?

 

You can tell politicians come up with these demands. 

[Yogurth]

6 hours ago, Zag L. said:

Not that I disagree (ALL tracking should be able to be disabled by the user), but did France demand the same from Google/Android and Apple iOS because unlike Win10, they not only track what you do but where you do it.

I don't know about Apple's ecosystem, but in Android You can opt-out of everything, unlike in Windows 10.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

It is about time they targeted something.

[+JHBrown Subscriber¹]

I'd definitely purchase a France version of Windows 10.

[+Biscuits Brown MVC]

18 minutes ago, Yogurth said:

I don't know about Apple's ecosystem, but in Android You can opt-out of everything, unlike in Windows 10.

Regarding Android you are correct - mostly. If you are running vanilla android or better yet a custom ROM, yep you bet! Killing all the calling home is trivial. You start running into issues however once you leave that vanilla android environment. You can't easily kill all that junk on all handsets (Some Samsung variants). As an example, I have an old Samsung T989 and I can't kill some of the Samsung telemetry on that without rooting.  Since you can turn off most of the telemetry in Win 10 and what is left is completely anonymized my point remains somewhat. I say somewhat because no matter how much you disable on your phone, you are always 'trackable'. Your carrier knows everyplace you go and you can't stop that. 

 

[adrynalyne]

1 hour ago, Yogurth said:

I don't know about Apple's ecosystem, but in Android You can opt-out of everything, unlike in Windows 10.

Except not. Go look at a log sometime. 

[Circaflex]

So does this apply to 7/8/8.1 as well? Telemetry isnt new to Windows.