Posted on 12/13/2018 1:42:01 PM PST by dayglored
All your activity are belong to us
Updated A feature introduced in the April 2018 Update of Windows 10 may have set off a privacy landmine within the bowels of Redmond as users have discovered that their data was still flowing into the intestines of the Windows giant, even with the thing apparently turned off.
In what is likely to be more cock-up than conspiracy, it appears that Microsoft is continuing to collect data on recent user activities even when the user has explicitly said NO, DAMMIT!
First noted in an increasingly shouty thread over on Reddit, the issue is related to Activity History, which is needed to make the much-vaunted and little-used Timeline feature work in Windows 10.
Introduced in what had previously been regarded as one of Microsoft's flakiest updates – prior to the glory of the October 2018 Update, of course – Timeline allows users to go back through apps as well as websites to get back to what they were doing at a given point.
Use a Microsoft account, and a user can view this over multiple PCs and mobile devices (as long you are signed in with that same Microsoft account). The key setting is that "Send my activity history to Microsoft" check box. Uncheck it and you'd be forgiven for thinking your activity would not be sent Redmondwards. Right?
Except, er, the slurping appears to be carrying on unabated.
The Redditors reported that if one takes a look at the Activity History in the Privacy Dashboard lurking within their account, apps and sites are still showing up.
The fellows over at How To Geek have speculated the issue may be something to do with Windows' default diagnostic setting, which is set to Full and will send back app and history unless changed to Basic. Of course, Windows Insiders have no option but to accept Full, although a bit of slurping is likely to be the least of their problems.
A thread at TenForums has also provided a guide to turning the thing off, ranging from tinkering with Group Policies through to diving headlong into the Registry. Neither are options likely to appeal to users who would expect that clearing the "Send data" box would stop data being sent.
Deliberate slurpage, or a case of poor QA and one team not talking to the other aside, it isn't a great look for Microsoft and users are muttering about potential legal action. Privacy lawyers will certainly be taking a close look – after all, the gang at Redmond are already under scrutiny for harvesting data and telemetry from lucky users of Windows 10.
Google has been on the receiving end of a sueball for slurping location data from user's phones and providing an over-complicated way to turn off the "feature".
It is all a bit of a mess and has left users unsure of what is being collected and when. We have contacted Microsoft to find out how it plans to deal with the situation (ideally before 2018's privacy bogeyman, GDPR, makes an appearance) and will update if a response is forthcoming. ®
Microsoft got in touch to insist it is committed to privacy and transparency, but admitted there is indeed a bit of naming problem, with "Activity History" cropping up in both Windows 10 and the Microsoft Privacy dashboard.
Marisa Rogers, Privacy Officer at the software giant, told us: "We are working to address this naming issue in a future update."
The slurpage collection is of course for your benefit and Rogers added that users have "controls to manage your data."
As for turning the thing off, Microsoft confirmed that, yes, you have to go to two places to actually stop your Activity History being shared with Redmond:
1. Under Settings->Privacy->Activity history: ensure the setting "Let Windows sync my activities from this PC to the cloud" is not checked
2. Under Settings->Privacy->Diagnostics & feedback: ensure Diagnostic data is set to Basic
Thanks for that. I will certainly LOOK INTO IT.
As I’ve said before, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit FOREVER.
Profound ...
> If that computer is running Windows 10, it isn’t your computer. It belongs to MS and they’ll do what ever they please with it.
> You notice over the years, the “My Computer” icon got renamed “Computer”, and then “This PC”. That’s a hint. Even Microsoft admits, it’s not your computer. It’s just this PC that you’re sitting in front of. Most of the time, you might as well be downtown at the Library in front of a terminal.
Qubes OS
https://www.qubes-os.org/
Tails
https://tails.boum.org/
BlackArch Linux
https://blackarch.org/
I disagree with the name of this one, but it’s another penetration tester.
IprediaOS
https://www.ipredia.org/
This one is in alpha for now, so it’s vulnerable until more stable. Looks like a promising project to learn about, though.
Subgraph OS
https://subgraph.com/
The following was developed by the Air Force and is NSA approved. ;-)
TENS
https://www.tens.af.mil/download.htm
And if the lack of a certificate there trips your paranoia trigger, you can read a little about it here.
It runs on a stick like Tails, Puppy Linux and others.
[[Is it relatively ewasy to make it dueal boot with mint (and is mint still the go-to for novices)?]]
Yes- very easy- the ‘hardest part’ is creating a partition, but once it’s created, installing linux is as simple as making a disk of linux, popping it in, and clicking buttons, just liek you would to install windows- nearly everything is automatic-
Creating a partition isn’t too difficult- you’ll have to learn how to do it but it’s not hard-
here;s al ink how to do it
https://www.howtogeek.com/214571/how-to-dual-boot-linux-on-your-pc/
you will need to make a partition of about 100 gig for linux- you can go as low as 30 gig or so if you want, but I’d recommend around at least 100 to make room for accumulating files and such if you have that much to spare
[[only 5 years ago I was using Windows as my primary desktop environment at work (had done so for the prior 8 years) and it was fine. That’s just a fond but dimmer-every-year memory.]]
Sadly that’s the case with many of us- we were perfecly satisfied with windows- enjoyed using it. learned a lot about it, customized it to our liking, controlled our own updates etc- then all of a sudden we get offered what really amounts to a virus almost- that restricts our control- and many of us reluctantly moved over to linux, usually in dual boot- then after a few months or so thought ‘Meh, linux aint so bad’
But really, it’s like driving your favorite gasoline powered, powerful car model for 20 years or more, then being told one day that you can no longer get that model and must now drive an electric hybrid
[[You notice over the years, the “My Computer” icon got renamed “Computer”, and then “This PC”.]]
The next iteration will be “This is OUR PC and don’t you forget it!”
that site you linked to is recommending people try russian or chinese operating systems? Nope- No thank you!
#45 get the free MiniTool Partition Wizard
Easy to create a partition.
Get the free Oracle VM VirtualBox and install Windows 10 in that while running Linux Mint
How to install in Linux Mint
https://www.itzgeek.com/how-tos/linux/linux-mint-how-tos/install-virtualbox-4-3-on-linux-mint-17.html
You’re welcome. OpenBSD was founded by Theo de Raadt, cracker extraordinaire, after he had worked more closely with the NetBSD team for a while.
thanks minesota- I actually use gparted- it’s really easy to use
The reason i don’t run windows in virtual mode is because it won’t play games or my photoshop very well- so i use dual boot and run windows 7 as my secondary OS- linux is my main os now
Yes. You get it!
>Yes. In China, any software in your possession is yours with no regards to copyrights and the like. But you, yourself, are owned by the PLA while visiting there and must behave more like a person during the Medieval period.
However, those folk during the dark ages actually had it better than folk in the USA today. More time off, less taxes, and many, many holidays.
Like everything it’s all about trade-offs. You know the movie “Office Space”? Well, that pretty much was my life. Now I’m in China. It looks more like a K-Pop video than anything else. LOL.
@BOB434
The point is that the powers that be are going to try to censor and record all that you do. Yes?
If you are tired of American government censorship, then try Russian censorship. THEY CENSOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
Right now, presently, I am using a French Search engine. The English version has little to be desired, and the promotion of news on the web page is pure Socialist gibberish. Never the less, I feel better about it than Google.
As an aside, the pop ups are in French and tell me how I can get American citizenship and a Green Card, all in French...don’t ya know.
I personally like Fedora, but I've heard good things about Mint. I'm just not a fan of anything Debian-based--but that's a personal preference, not a technical one.
Bump for later. Thanks.
Thank you
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