All Microsoft Updates Phone Home

juct writes "In the wake of heise Security's report on the garrulous WGA Notification, Microsoft has now supplied additional details on the data sent. They have revealed to developers that apparently all updates relay information to the company in Redmond."

Comments

EULA

[Zapraki]

Like the article says:

"In the Privacy Statement of Windows Update Microsoft grants itself fairly far-reaching rights... By way of justifying Microsoft's approach, alexkoc writes that the EULA, likewise presented by the WGA installer, also covered the relaying of such information."

So I guess it might be a bit sneaky, but it has all been covered by WGA disclosures.

An example of the XML returned when a user cancels an installation is available here, "just to allay any fears that Microsoft is using any personal information".

So ya, I don't think this is a huge deal, nor particularly unexpected.

Re:All updates relay Information...

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

That's hardly surprising.
Considering that most of these applications are installed via the windows-update site...
I doubt you could even maintain a session without sending information back to the web-server.

Yeah totally, because:

• Computer make and model
• Version information for all installed Microsoft software
• Plug&Play ID numbers of hardware devices
• Globally Unique Identifier (GUID)
• BIOS name, revision number, and revision date

are all necessary to download a single specific update not to mention maintain a session to the web-server.

UK/EU - Data Protection Act

[stevedcc]

So, I live in the EU. We have rather stronger laws regarding companies holding information on people than you Americans do. I object to this information being collected on me. Whilst I can't stop them collecting it, I CAN force Microsoft to reveal all information they hold about me, after I pay an admin fee of around £10 and it'll cost them far more than that to provide it. One person is nothing, but if a whole bunch of irate people were to start asking for this information - MS would be very unhappy. Now if only EFF Europe or some other organisation would organise a pro-forma, and encourage a mass "ask MS to reveal what they hold on you" - as many people as possible in as small a window as possible. Geurilla consumerism is great fun!