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Windows 10's Privacy Policy: the New Normal?
An anonymous reader writes: The launch of Windows 10 brought a lot of users kicking and screaming to the "connected desktop." Its benefits come with tradeoffs: "the online service providers can track which devices are making which requests, which devices are near which Wi-Fi networks, and feasibly might be able to track how devices move around. The service providers will all claim that the data is anonymized, and that no persistent tracking is performed... but it almost certainly could be." There are non-trivial privacy concerns, particularly for default settings.
According to Peter Bright, for better or worse this is the new normal for mainstream operating systems. We're going to have to either get used to it, or get used to fighting with settings to turn it all off. "The days of mainstream operating systems that don't integrate cloud services, that don't exploit machine learning and big data, that don't let developers know which features are used and what problems occur, are behind us, and they're not coming back. This may cost us some amount of privacy, but we'll tend to get something in return: software that can do more things and that works better."
According to Peter Bright, for better or worse this is the new normal for mainstream operating systems. We're going to have to either get used to it, or get used to fighting with settings to turn it all off. "The days of mainstream operating systems that don't integrate cloud services, that don't exploit machine learning and big data, that don't let developers know which features are used and what problems occur, are behind us, and they're not coming back. This may cost us some amount of privacy, but we'll tend to get something in return: software that can do more things and that works better."
Blocking these domains will make your version of Windows 10 "Unconnected". To Microsoft at least.
dns.msftncsi.com
ipv6.msftncsi.com
win10.ipv6.microsoft.com
ipv6.msftncsi.com.edgesuite.net
a978.i6g1.akamai.net
win10.ipv6.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
en-us.appex-rf.msn.com
v10.vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
client.wns.windows.com
wildcard.appex-rf.msn.com.edgesuite.net
v10.vortex-win.data.metron.life.com.nsatc.net
wns.notify.windows.com.akadns.net
americas2.notify.windows.com.akadns.net
travel.tile.appex.bing.com
www.bing.com
any.edge.bing.com
fe3.delivery.mp.microsoft.com
fe3.delivery.dsp.mp.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
ssw.live.com
ssw.live.com.nsatc.net
login.live.com
login.live.com.nsatc.net
directory.services.live.com
directory.services.live.com.akadns.net
bl3302.storage.live.com
skyapi.live.net
bl3302geo.storage.dkyprod.akadns.net
skyapi.skyprod.akadns.net
skydrive.wns.windows.com
register.mesh.com
BN1WNS2011508.wns.windows.com
settings-win.data.microsoft.com
settings.data.glbdns2.microsoft.com
OneSettings-bn2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
watson.telemetry.microsoft.com
watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
http://init.sh/?p=236
"Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
I'd usually boot a livecd, mount my partitions, and chroot into my install to fix whatever was broken. Usually, it's something that I did recently, and that I know how to undo. I've had to do that about as many times as I've had to boot from a Windows disk to restore corrupted files, fix the mbr, or some other such nonsense. That's not counting trouble with updates that won't install and can't tell me why or that put the computer into an unbootable state.
In Linux, I can usually trace problems to something that I did. In Windows, I can usually trace problems to something that the OS did. Each system has it's own philosophy of repair. For Windows: Use the Microsoft-supplied tools, and hope that you can get things working well enough. For Linux: Hope that your knowledge or search engine skills are enough to fix the problem. I like the second approach, because it feels like it relies on my own cleverness than it does the engineers that wrote the software.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
For a start, block these in your router, or hosts file:
http://pastebin.com/ULJjVM7w
vortex.data.microsoft.com
vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com
telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com
sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
watson.telemetry.microsoft.com
watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
redir.metaservices.microsoft.com
choice.microsoft.com
choice.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
df.telemetry.microsoft.com
reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
services.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
sqm.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
telemetry.microsoft.com
watson.ppe.telemetry.microsoft.com
telemetry.appex.bing.net
telemetry.urs.microsoft.com
telemetry.appex.bing.net:443
settings-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
survey.watson.microsoft.com
watson.live.com
watson.microsoft.com
statsfe2.ws.microsoft.com
corpext.msitadfs.glbdns2.microsoft.com
compatexchange.cloudapp.net
cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net
a-0001.a-msedge.net
statsfe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
sls.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
fe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
diagnostics.support.microsoft.com
corp.sts.microsoft.com
statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com
pre.footprintpredict.com
i1.services.social.microsoft.com
i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
feedback.windows.com
feedback.microsoft-hohm.com
feedback.search.microsoft.com
rad.msn.com
preview.msn.com
ad.doubleclick.net
ads.msn.com
ads1.msads.net
ads1.msn.com
a.ads1.msn.com
a.ads2.msn.com
adnexus.net
adnxs.com
az361816.vo.msecnd.net
az512334.vo.msecnd.net
Linux has some problems though. Windows software does not run on it, well, som things work with Wine, others don't. A lot of games do not run on Linux too. Valve is starting to push Linux for games, but mainstream Linux support in games is still not here.
Also, Linux has problems with specialized hardware, like the kind you would find on a laptop. I do not know why the manufacturers build hardware that requires uber special drivers, but this is how it is. Also, at least some time ago, Linux on a laptop drained the battery faster than Windows (probably Windows could put the hardware in a lower power mode).
As much as many here who are libertarian do you think it is time for laws to prohibit this? The free market appearently is too small to care about this.
You don't need laws. You just need to eliminate software copyright, so there's actually a free market in software.
If anyone could hack the spyware out of Windows and sell their own version, this wouldn't be happening.
I want my OS to do the work
That's why I run Linux. For years and years it's enabled me to be productive.
I've heard the "LibreOffice is lacking x,y,z" and "I can't live without feature x,y,z in Photoshop" many, many times now. If you truly can't live without x,y,z then go ahead and use Windows. Even if it's a simple matter of you like Windows better, go ahead and use it. I don't care. But don't tell me Linux is inferior because it doesn't have some obscure feature not used by 99% of users.
I know Linux on the desktop will forever remain a small percentage of market share. It's simply never going to catch up with the big boys. I'm okay with that, too. The reason, though, is not inferiority. It's entrenchment and market muscle.
If Microsoft started pushing Linux as Windows 12, even if they made zero changes to it, it would take off quickly.
This is not about quality and merit. Not at all.
Windows software does not run on it
Legacy non-cloud applications do not run on it.
New web-based applications run on Linux just fine.
Every legacy application is slowly getting replaced with an "App" anyways, as Tablets more and more replace PCs for end users.
"People are happy idiots."
Actually, people are unhappy "idiots". When abusers succeed, that causes others to choose to be abusive. When there are a huge number of people doing many kinds of abuses, people begin feeling that they can't protect themselves, and try to ignore the abuses.
The U.S. government in general, U.S. banks, and the many secret agencies of the U.S. government engage in many kinds of abuses. For example, a side-effect of NSA activities also has the initials NSA: No Sales for America. Companies don't want to buy complicated products from the U.S. because agencies of the U.S. government can go to any U.S. corporation and tell executives that they must accept the insertion of spy products, and keep that secret, or go to prison. Since any complicated U.S. product could have methods of control or spying or worse, it is better for foreign customers to avoid buying anything touched by U.S. companies.
One effect of "upgrading" to Windows 10: Windows Media Center will be deleted.
Another loss in Windows 10: Windows Updates will be forced, in at least one version. Will there be other lost features, now or later? Will Microsoft extend its control over Windows in other hidden or complicated ways? The issue is not whether technically-knowledgeable users will be able to stop forced updates; the issue is that most people won't know how to regain control over their systems. That control is important because often Microsoft has given poorly designed updates that have caused problems on user's systems. See this Slashdot story, for example, Windows 10's Automatic Updates For NVidia Drivers Causing Trouble.
More about Microsoft releasing buggy software: The Slashdot story, Windows 10 Launches, says Windows 10 is "buggier than Windows 8.1, 8, 7, or Vista were on their respective launch days" and "During my testing on a variety of hardware, I've run into a lot of bugs and issues -- even with the version that will be released to consumers on launch day".
(At present, the best way to update Windows 7 is to use Autopatcher, because Microsoft's anti-customer "updates" are avoided.)
Online comments say that Microsoft will try to move Windows to a model that requires monthly payments.
Firefox: Embraced, "Extended", soon to be Extinguished? Mozilla Foundation now gets most of its money from Microsoft. Microsoft pays Yahoo. Yahoo pays Mozilla Foundation to make "Yahoo search" (actually Microsoft Bing search) the default search engine in Firefox. Most people don't have the technical knowledge to know how they've been manipulated, or how to restore the default search engine to Google search.
Thunderbird and SeaMonkey Composer GUIs: Damaged, apparently deliberately. Every time you do a file save, the newer versions of both ask for a new file name, and don't suggest the last one chosen. The damage was reported several months ago, but has not been fixed. Is that another example of Embrace, Extend, Extinguish? People who feel forced away from Thunderbird may choose Microsoft software to replace it. Is that what Microsoft is trying to accomplish?
One effect of abuse is that the abusers become VERY unhappy. For years, people called Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer "Monkey Boy". That reflected the results of Ballmer's constant involvement in Microsoft's abuse of its customers.
Microsoft is amazingly badly managed. The
Unless of course you're a gamer, in which case using a Windows OS is pretty much in the bag still. Most people don't want to screw around with nix to get up and running, and while SteamOS fixes some of it, long way to go.
Om, nomnomnom...
Not your home PC that came with Windows already on it. Cyberspace. The servers, search engines, websites, name it.
I am a Linux server admin by trade :). And yes, Linux is great for servers. With one exception - I have not seen a proper alternative to MS Exchange server. Exchange is great for when users have tons of rules and many gigabytes of emails. Also, the way Exchange handles sharing mailboxes between users is better than the standard IMAP setup.
If more games were compiled already to run on Linux, Microsoft would already be archive.org.
Yes, is most new games ran on Linux, Microsoft would have harder time selling Windows.
However, as it currently is, most new PCs come with Windows, so for a user, Windows is kinda-free - I mean he already paid for it and probably did not have the option of buying the same exact PC without Windows for $100 less. Also, stuff like compiling the kernel is way above the head of an average user, even installing drivers on Windows is above his head.
What you don't to is to say oh, since Microsoft had us in a proprietary headlock for decades that now we just have to buy proprietary headlock edition PC's.
A lot of times the choice is limited. I wanted a small UMPC that could fit in my pocket and yet have a relatively normal keyboard and x86 CPU (essentially a Psion Series 5 with modern hardware). There were two options at the time - Viliv N5 and Umid BZ. They both most likely have some hardware that is difficult to make work in Linux. Similar is buying a bigger laptop.
If this is ever a case for anybody, simply install it into a Virtual Machine.
Wouldn't installing Linux inside a VM inside Windows defeat the point of not having Windows? Also, good luck playing games or even HD video from inside the VM.
Windows has no sell points other than forced updates, get spied on, share your WiFi password with outlook contacts, then decide who hacked your shit.
Now, yes. However, old versions were good - XP and now 7, this is why people still use the old versions. XP because the hardware they have may not be fast enough for anything newer and 7 because the later versions are crap. After Windows 7 MS found out that it essentially was "good enough", could not find anything to improve and started to muck around with the interface and later spying.
Which "more things" can Windows 10 do that say Windows 8 or Windows 7 can't? Apart from spy on you I mean.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Until it really is "insert CD and go" for ALL computers (is an HP laptop so weird??) then Linux will never be mainstream. Sorry.
A lot of laptops aren't "insert CD and go" for Windows. If you don't have the official disc which re-images your system, you can't even install them without slipstreaming drivers into the Windows CD. Sorry.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I installed Windows 10 in a VM, turned all the privacy settings on during the install process, and then checked that Cortana was disabled. It was, and as proof, here is a list of running tasks:
http://imgur.com/Tzy6e6Z
http://imgur.com/Tfr8pRx
Search via the start menu works fine. Wireshark shows that data is not being leaked when I search (web search was turned off) and I don't see anything else flowing back to Microsoft, except for periodic Windows Update checks.
Try searching for "cortana" via the start menu, and then flip the first option in the list. That disables the Cortana process for me.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC