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Windows 8 Tells Microsoft About Everything You Install
musicon writes "According to Nadim Kobeissi, Windows 8 is configured by default (using a new featured called Windows SmartScreen) to immediately tell Microsoft about every app you download and install. This is a very serious privacy problem, specifically because Microsoft is the central point of authority and data collection/retention here and therefore becomes vulnerable to being served judicial subpoenas or National Security Letters intended to monitor targeted users. This situation is exacerbated when Windows 8 is deployed in countries experiencing political turmoil or repressive political situations."
While SmartScreen is enabled by default, it's possible for users to turn it off. Also, it's worth noting that Microsoft is hardly alone in this regard, given the rise of app stores over the past several year. (Not that it exculpates this behavior.)
Look, I'm just a regular user, albeit more technically capable than the vast majority, but not a developer, sys admin, etc., and it's starting to look more and more like it's time to consider making the move to Linux.
This private company invasiveness seems to be growing in parallel with government invasiveness, and I'm not happy about either, but at least I can choose one, for now.
... to build an app that fakes the install of programs? In other words, overwhelm MS with hundreds of false install notices to them. As certain programs become 'of interest' to certain parties, we add that program to the list. Eventually, the information would become useless and would be abandoned.
Or am I missing something?
You know, I've been resisting Linux all these years, but with the current direction of Windows development and greater Linux game support (Steam, etc.) I may make the switch yet...
You sound like me about 5 years ago, when Vista was supposed to be Microsoft's hot new OS. I figured the way that was going, I might as well go Linux now and get over the hassle of switching. Long story short I spent 3.5 years on Linux as my primary desktop before I gave up the fight and switched to Win7. If you want to try Linux go right ahead, but if you're just think Win8 is a dead end I suggest just buckling down with Win7 and see if Microsoft comes to their senses. There's plenty time and being 64 bit I think it's even more of a stayer than XP, that and SSD support were really the only two "must have" features of Win7 for me. I expect the coming decade to have even less such "must have" features.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Right, use Chrome as the example of a privacy-conscious application... it's not like it sends not only every URL you type in the location bar, or knows and pre-fetches every possible combination of the URL while you're typing it, or anything. It doesn't take URL's you're typing and try to suggest search results for those words either, no sir! And it definitely, definitely doesn't let Google store and analyze all of that information against your account, should you happen to be logged in to Gmail or anything.
Bow before me, for I am root.
Um, check the date on that blog post. March 22nd, 2011.
This was a feature added, by default, to Internet Explorer 9.0. It is a part of the browser. If you are running Windows 7 and have updated to Internet Explorer 9.0 then it is already doing this. All Windows 8 does is have Internet Explorer 10 installed by default.
Olds for nerds?
"The Unofficial Windows 8 Developer FAQ
Today, I’m going to attempt to dos something Microsoft staff should have done long ago or didn’t do correctly or simply were held back from doing so. I’m going to release the Unofficial FAQ on “What Just happened” in Microsoft for developer(s) worldwide."
http://www.riagenic.com/archives/960?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MsMossyblog+(MS+MossyBlog)
Heh
My 77 year old mother has one on her laptop. Its called Ubuntu. She is still trying to say it right.
And to think I was a little nervouse when she got internet access and started sending me puppy emails. Now she just complains about having to do a sudo and type in her password way too often.
Well, AC, it all started when she wanted to use a spare USB wireless adapter ( old laptop ) I had. She needed to install the drivers via ndiswrapper but I had neglected to put it there first. I told her I would do the next time I came over. She told me to walk her through it. I'm gonna say no to my mother?
Congratulations on focusing on half the post. The other half is about the "usage and diagnostic data" that Mac OS X sends to Apple - which does contain information about what applications you have installed, and has since whenever they added that feature.
Exactly what data does Apple get? Well, according to Apple themselves, they collect "[u]sage information (for example, data about how you use Apple and third-party software, hardware, and services)." What does that mean? Who knows.
The bottom line is that if you don't want some company to know what third-party software you're using on "their" computer, you don't want to go Apple.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.