Microsoft's Telemetry Additions To Windows 7 and 8 Raise Privacy Concerns

WheezyJoe writes: ghacks and Ars Technica are providing more detail about Windows 10's telemetry and "privacy invasion" features being backported to Windows 7 and 8. The articles list and explain some of the involved updates by number (e.g., KB3068708, KB3022345, KB3075249, and KB3080149). The Ars article says the Windows firewall can block the traffic just fine, and the service sending the telemetry can be disabled. "Additionally, most or all of the traffic appears to be contingent on participating in the CEIP in the first place. If the CEIP is disabled, it appears that little or no traffic gets sent. This may not always have been the case, however; the notes that accompany the 3080149 update say that the amount of network activity when not part of CEIP has been reduced." The ghacks article explains other ways block the unwanted traffic and uninstall the updates.

Comments

Why are we picking on Microsoft?

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft is certainly not the first to data mine some information from computer users. Nor is it the first to force updates onto devices. Or use a special account sign in to access a device. Microsoft is basically following what Apple and Google have already done and got little attention from it. Tell me that a Facebook account is less of a threat to your privacy then a Microsoft account signed into Windows 8 or 10. Really, this is ridiculous that we now pick Microsoft to spin them as the bad company here. Folks, we lost privacy on the internet these days the minute you accessed it and used services like Twitter, Facebook, Google anything, Apple anything, and so much more. The internet of things is you. Get over it!