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.)

Comments

Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[erikwestlund]

At the rate Microsoft is going, they might as well add a "Windows 8 opt-out feature."

Re:Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[Anonymous Coward]

At the rate Microsoft is going, they might as well add a "Windows 8 opt-out feature."

I know this is a joke, but yes, they do, It's called "downgrade rights"

Re:Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[Anonymous Coward]

"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)

Re:Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux will be ready for the desktop in 5 years time.

Re:Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[TheSpoom]

Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*

Re:Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[Penguinisto]

Even better - write a small app that generates random app names/specs from a huge DB of legitimate applications, and randomly sends notification of installs and uninstalls whenever the user's machine goes idle. Bonus points if it generates random GUIDs and computer profiles.

Re:Does Windows 8 have an opt-out feature?

[snadrus]

I took my shiny, still-wrapped laptop box to an Acer service center to return Windows 7. They swapped my hard drive for a blank one & I was mailed $65. Not bad for a laptop I bought $300.

Re:So?

[erikwestlund]

I like your vision of a privacy-invasion free world.

Don't want to be videotaped? Don't go outside.
Don't want to be wiretapped? Don't use a phone.
Don't want medical records in the wild? Don't go to a doctor.

Visionary indeed.

Re:Wow...

[Anonymous Coward]

No you won't. Quit trolling for +5.

How is it not alone?

[SuperKendall]

Also, it's worth noting that Microsoft is hardly alone in this regard, given the rise of app stores over the past several year.

Come on. This is just excuse-making - sure in any given app store the store owner knows what you downloaded - by definition they had to for you to download it!

But here aren't we talking about a more general notion that ANY application installed from anywhere is known by Microsoft? When you use the Amazon app store on Android, does Google know what you have? When I use Cydia on a iPhone, Apple doesn't know what applications I install from there... on the Mac I can use the app store but if I get applications from elsewhere Apple doesn't know about those either.

Just because App Stores exist does not give Microsoft the right to track every app installed.

Re:Wow...

[SJHillman]

What's wrong with sticking with Windows 7 for now?
It's not like Windows 7 is automatically obsolete as soon as 8 hits the market.

Re:Wow...

[Kjella]

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.

Re:Time for Linux, finally?

[LVSlushdat]

yup.. been that time for me for quite a while. Not only am I running Linux on all my machines, but have moved quite a few neighbors/friends over to Ubuntu from XP. In a few cases, the migration was sorta forced, in that machines were malware'ed up wazoo, and the owners of the systems did not have the recovery disks for a clean install. I showed them Ubuntu via LiveCD on their systems and asked them, could you live with that? Of course, my liveCD was a mashup with Gnome2 configured to look very close to XP. In all cases, the answer was "SURE!!"... Several of these users were always calling with problems when they were still on XP, but since going to Ubuntu, I get much less calls and absolutely NONE regarding malware.. One of the users is/was one of these people who clicked on EVERYTHING.. Told him numerous times, DON'T DO THAT.. but went in one ear/out the other. Because of this, he was always calling and saying "My machine is really slow..".. I'd tell him quit clicking on everything, and make a visit and clean what I could off the machine. After Ubuntu? no calls...