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Microsoft Telemetry Collection, Explained (theregister.co.uk)
New submitter Poohsticks writes: There's a nice breakdown of the updated information from Microsoft about what they are doing with the telemetry data that Windows 10 is collecting (original Technet article here) by Chris Williams at The Register. Interesting finds that better explain what's happening with that data (and how to control it).
Very little is explained. And there's no OFF setting.
Fuck Microsoft, hard.
Most people here have been commenting with something like "Stop Using Windows", but I think this is the wrong message.
Considering the audience here on Slashdot, the true message to share and discuss is: "Stop Writing Software for Windows".
My software company has just ruled out all future Windows development. Yes, that means we'll lose some clients, and yes, that means we will have some customer training issues to resolve. But compared to the clusterfuck that is Windows10, it was actually a pretty easy decision for us to make. If Microsoft wants to be a part of the future of software development then they will need to continue to push .NET onto cross platform, and clean up that Mono license so that we can all use it with confidence. Otherwise, Microsoft software development is dead. Sure, not now, not in five years, but this is it: the beginning of the end.
So stop writing software for Windows and watch the world change...for the better.
I see no mentioned of "Let apps manage Android app"
The telemetry can be easily disabled with a single registry key. For privacy Cortana is a much bigger worry since there's no way to uninstall or disable it. The only way to stop it is the kill the process and quickly rename the C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy folder before it restarts.
Really though, my bigger concern about Windows 10 is that it's just really bad. Every decision seems to have been made for Microsoft's benefit rather than for the users. Like OneDrive integration that there's no way to fully rid yourself of (I've disabled it in the Group Policy editor, removed it from explorer, removed the run registry value but it still shows up in various places). Then there's the continued forced march towards the "Modern UI" with some settings no longer available in the Control Panel and only available in the Settings app, and some applications like Calculator being replaced with Modern UI crap. There's also the fact that it looks like crap with it's lack of colour and detail, and the problem that there's a total lack of customisation.
I was about to start writing a big application in MFC, but Microsoft are headed to destruction so I'm now instead learning Qt. I think they year of Linux on the desktop may only be five to ten years away, and it'll be Microsoft we have to thank for it.
Does anyone remember the "Secure your digital media" checkbox in Windows, which sounded like a positive thing (security!) but actually DRM'd any music you ripped onto the computer so it couldn't be played on other devices?
I was reminded of that when reading the page:
"Security: "Information that’s required to help keep Windows secure, including info about the Connected User Experience and Telemetry component settings, the Malicious Software Removal Tool, and Windows Defender.""
Probably hiding your logon and password information.
"Basic: "Basic device info, including: quality-related info, app compat, and info from the Security level.""
Probably hiding a list of apps you have installed plus ID of the computer and spec and location, wifi networks around you etc.
"Enhanced: "Additional insights, including: how Windows and Windows apps are used, how they perform, advanced reliability info, and info from both the Basic and the Security levels.""
Web pages surfed, emails, .... will be hiding in this one.
"Full: "All info necessary to identify and help to fix problems, plus info from the Security, Basic, and Enhanced levels.""
And stuff accessible on your network too, any servers that the computer can connect to,...
That's the thing about Microsoft's vague doubletalk, if it can hide insanely nasty stuff it probably does.
We're still talking about a lot of basically untested internet aware services running on your background that have a microsoft tier of security, which means it is probably exploitable the hell and back, and basically identical on every single windows 10 box.
That sounds like a gros michel banana scenario here pretty much, where someone with evil intentions would be able to abuse one of those flaws and pretty much wipe out a large quantity of windows 10 machines if not all of em in a whim.
This. I shouldn't have to try to filter their data theft at the router, there should be an OFF setting for this. Does anyone have any working iptables rules to stop them?
but where is the mention of this and its purpose? Any text you put in an e-mail, a comment, or a blog, using Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10, can be used to identify you.
It doesn't matter how many secure channels are between you and the destination of your text, once a piece of text is seen and has garned the interest of U.S "law enforcement", it can be used for an approximative search against the key-logged text over at Microsoft, and with all other information sucked up from your computer, you can most likely be personally identified.
Your simple criticism of U.S politics in a discussion forum can lead to you being identified and labelled as an "insurgent", a "security risk to the country", forbidden to enter the country, your business prevented from selling to or buying from American companies, and more.
From TFA: Other info may be retained longer, particularly if there is a regulatory requirement to do so.
What "regulatory requirement"? Is there any regulatory need for Microsoft to store user telemetry? Can anyone explain this?
The founder of the company has sided with the DOJ against Apple. And Microsoft seems only to have gotten worse since Gates handed over the reins. That tells me all I need to know about Microsoft's trustworthiness as far as user privacy is concerned. Even if telemetry truly can be fully disabled, who's to say it won't be re-introduced without notice? Microsoft is sneaky that way.
I almost wish I was still a Windows user so I could quit in protest, but I moved to Linux almost 10 years ago and haven't looked back. I feel for those who are stuck with it, for whatever reason. I never thought I would say this, but if my only two choices were Apple and MS, I'd choose Apple.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
They're only equivalent if you're completely incapable of nuanced thought.
I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
That's great if you can do that. Some of us aren't being given the choice, we've been told that the Enterprise WILL be updated to Win10 at an unspecified date in the future, like it or not. . .
Microsoft sure knows how to dig a big hole and fall in it. With Windows 8 it was the infamous Metro UI. Now with Windows 10 it's an all-out user spying program, one you can't really even turn off. Who the hell makes these decisions?! Anyone here could've told them it's a really bad idea and skilled security analysts would easily find out about all the semi-hidden "features".
It's as if they want to fail time after time, like a sadomasochistic hamster that enjoys electric shocks.
-SR
Send her a .reg file. I do such changes once, store the .reg file and reuse that file on any computer I get my hands on (where the behaviour is desired, of course)
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
I run a windows boot for gaming only. Tried the *free win 10 upgrade* and after 20 minutes of unidentified net traffic and hideous I lag was reinstalling win 7.
Solution? Since Steam now has Mac ports for pretty much everything I play, the next gaming rig will be an incredibly over-priced Mac Pro.
I feel for the poor sods who are stuck with win 10 as a work platform or are too uninterested/uninformed to make a better choice for home use.
Scruting the inscrutable for over 50 years.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I work in an enterprise and can tell you that Microsoft does provide the ability to disable all remote connectivity, including those connections used for its telemetry services. You just need to actually do the research on how to achieve the desired results. I have seen the Win 10 hate thread abound, and would just like to say that rather than childishly gripping about the company that produced the software, how about an intelligent conversation about what MS improved from a UI, usability, and security perspective? I am a firm believer in the right tool for the right job, and personally employ several flavors of Linux to achieve the technology goals I set. Blind hate only makes you uniformed, come to the light side.
You can turn off Windows Update by setting the following registry entries:
Add a REG_DWORD value called DoNotConnectToWindowsUpdateInternetLocations to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate and set the value to 1.
-and-
Add a REG_DWORD value called DisableWindowsUpdateAccess to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate and set the value to 1.
Even something as straightforward as changing a registry setting, is beyond the skillset (or willingness, or caring enough) of the majority of average PC users. That is: if PC is actually under users' direct control - in a corporate setting, it often won't be. Imho any OS should by default send out / retrieve as little as practical from network sources. Beyond that, network access should be user-triggered, enabled on an individual services / application level.
But what struck me while going through the TechNet article, is its length. Are you supposed to check that many settings all over the place, and then repeat to check or re-set those settings each time some update(s) are applied?
That could be a full-time job. Unless you bring in the help of 3rd party software, which -under the hood- may behave as nasty as Win10 itself. Given these facts, I'd say that if you control PC('s) you work on, you have basically 3 choices at this point:
Choose wisely, and know this: your time isn't "free".
> what they are doing with the telemetry data that Windows 10 is collecting ?
They're spying on you with no way to turn it off. That *IS* what they're doing. Windows 10 *IS* spyware. let's go through the questions... again...
1 Downloads itself to your machine without you specifically asking for it ? YES
2 Aggressively attempts to install itself taking over your computer in the process ? YES
3 Sends unknown and/or encrypted data to unknown third parties ? YES
4 Sends personally identifying information to unknown third parties ? YES
5 Easy to remove ? NO
Hmmm... Looks like spyware, smells like spyware, walks like spyware and talks like spyware. Windows 10 *IS* spyware.
Anyone willingly using it is a moron. Microsoft shills go f**** yourself.
Sky subscribers are morons. They pay to be advertised at !
A new record! The top post immediately invokes Godwin's Law. WTG!!!
All references to that aside, though, holy cow! Let's not make it easy for anyone, and make sure those running the cheapest versions have no choice...
No thanks.
Watch out! We got a badass over here!
It seems to be a state secret, but a significant number of rural Americans are stuck with noisy phone lines for connectivity. They get 32K connections. Maybe. On good days. I, fortuitously, live in the big city and have a DSL connection that typically runs at maybe 20% of it's asserted speed. Hell, we can even stream Netflix. Most of the time.
With all this telemetry nonsense can Windows 10 even run on rural user's PCs?
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
The subject of the post is not always the topic of the article. It's often a tangential or unrelated matter. I usually change the subject line of a thread when posting, not because I expect anyone to read it, but so I'll have a better idea what is being responded to if I get any reply notifications in my email.
Just because you don't use something does not make it stupid.
Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
Didn't MS test this OS? Telemetry collection seems like a universal beta test. "Let put this stuff out there then see what happens. Then fix that."
I don't care, I block them all.
And there was no real explanation on what data that's sent, only some fuzzy statements. How can they be sure that "Security" don't profile me?
Any information pulled will be useful to profile me as a user.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
Considering the audience here on Slashdot, the true message to share and discuss is: "Stop Writing Software for Windows".
My software company has just ruled out all future Windows development. Yes, that means we'll lose some clients...
Most of us here don't have the luxury of pissing off 90% of our potential market and 100% of our existing Windows customers.
Granting themselves a backdoor by default whereby humans are able to selectively exfiltrate whatever data and configuration they please from your machines without your knowledge or approval.
Absolutely stunning criminal trespass. No secret my opinion of Microsoft has taken a nose dive as of late but this is insane.
No, you invoked it.
He made the comparison which you feel satisfies the law, but you were the one who invoked the law.
http://dictionary.reference.co...
really: I've seen a lot of people (not tech-savy ones) from universities with a recent update to Windows 10 leading to some "minor problems" (monstrous problems for the IT dept!)
Until random terrorist dies with file X.doc on his machine, the NSA ask Microsoft who else has that file and you find out because a SWAT team took down your front door at 5am and shot your dog.
It will happen. See also: DNA and fingerprint false positives.
For those of you who were wondering what z80a meant, apparently the Gros Michel banana was one of the main banana species used and was wiped out by a fungal plague.
So, a monoculture nearly wiped out the industry. A tale of caution.
Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
If Apple can be forced to crack open phones without clear benefit, what do you want to bet that Microsoft can't be induced to hand over all the stuff you did at Pirate Bay to the MAFIAA?
Ever known a professional writer? Ever looked at what they do web searches on? Do you think they want the FBI investigating them for that?
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
. If your system reports back strange crashes that Microsoft techies can't get their heads around, they can request extra data from your machine, which Windows 10 will hand over under remote control if management approves. This extra information can include some of your files so the engineers can recreate the exact crash in their labs using your data and apps. Microsofties can also run diagnostic tools on your system to gather more evidence. Here's Microsoft's explanation of the process: Before more info is gathered, Microsoft’s privacy governance team, including privacy and other subject matter experts, must approve the diagnostics request made by a Microsoft engineer. If the request is approved, Microsoft engineers can use the following capabilities to get the information: Ability to run a limited, pre-approved list of Microsoft certified diagnostic tools, such as msinfo32.exe, powercfg.exe, and dxdiag.exe. Ability to get registry keys. Ability to gather user content, such as documents , if they might have been the trigger for the issue.
Doesn't this seem the better option if you're able to get your mitts on it?
No Edge, Store/Apps, Cortana, and telemetry (even the extra bits) all stoppable. Essentially a clean desktop edition of Windows 10 that gets all major bug-fixes and security updates without all the extra cruft for a period of 3-5 years (depending on when they choose to integrate the current branch features and release the next LTSB).
Here's a couple links:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/ukt...
http://www.techworld.com/secur...
Now, I've looked around online and people seem to proclaim the end of the world if you would like to use this as a desktop OS: 'Oh you can disable all of that crap yourself and spend hours gutting and tweaking it to suit your needs. LTSB is meant for ATMs and nuclear subs and you won't get any of the new features, why wouldn't you want them? Blah blah blah'... Frankly in techminded circles that sort of reasoning flabbergasts me, it's spouting off of ideology on no basis of reality. (Though you see the same end-of-the-worlders rear their head when you talk about the pros/cons of disabling UAC.)
If you can legally acquire it, I'm really not seeing the downsides as you get many of the little quality of life updates from Win 8/8.1/10 (task manager, DX12, file copy dialogue) without many of the obnoxious ones (lockscreen ads, Candy Crush, 'helpful suggestions'). Not to mention nothing like the 'fall update fiasco' bulldozing your settings whenever MS pleases by providing and presenting an OS in-place upgrade as a normal Windows update.