Posted on 11/26/2015 4:09:02 PM PST by markomalley
“Anonymity is like virginity. You don't get it back once you've lost it,” writes one Register reader on Microsoft’s latest raid on your privacy.
Microsoft pulled a major update for Windows after it blew away the user's privacy settings, allowing app developers and advertisers to glean the user’s identity.
But that’s only part of the story, which gets murkier by the day.
We already knew Windows 10 Threshold deleted third-party data monitoring tools and cleanup tools, including stalwarts like Spybot and CCleaner. It even disabled Cisco’s VPN software. Just a bug, said Microsoft.
Two bugs would be a puzzling coincidence – but something else makes it altogether more troubling.
This year Microsoft introduced background tracking services called DiagTrack, or the Diagnostics Tracking Service. It was added to Windows 8.1 installations as well as betas of Windows 10. It arrived without much fanfare in May 14, in the shape of a patch, KB3022345.
It was just one of several slurping enhancements added via the back door.
The data that DiagTrack collected was typical of a spyware programme. The only way you knew you were being monitored was by eyeballing the list of running processes in Task Manager. As Microsoft explained:
Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage.
Users thought it had disappeared in recent Windows 10 builds – but it hadn’t. Microsoft had simply renamed it.
The sinister-sounding tracking app was now the beatific and caring “Connected User Experiences and Telemetry Service”. Once again, it needs to be disabled manually (this time through the Services control panel).
“It is this kind of overriding desire for control and a disregard for user choices which is harming Windows 10,” says Forbes journo Gordon Kelly, and he’s right.
Microsoft spent millions portraying Google as a greedy and amoral data marauder. Redmond doesn't need to read your email, it told everyone. The Scroogled campaign positioned Microsoft itself as the ethical alternative; the occupier of the moral high ground.
For a while, it was. But Windows 10 is bad for your privacy, and it is damaging Microsoft’s reputation as a trusted consumer brand.
The face of Windows, Joe Belfiore, is now on a world cruise, taking a 12 month break. Who can blame him? Nobody seems to be in charge. ®
You all should watch this video about disabling Win10 spying. He explained by Win10 is free by saying that (paraphrasing here), “Win10 is not the product, YOU are.” You won’t believe just how big of a window Microsoft and the intel agencies have into your life.
Disable Windows 10 Spying - Privacy & Security
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kGMCfb2xw
“Now, Bill Gates acts like a moonbat liberal antichrist every which way he can.”
Bill’s name in ASCII values.
B = 66
I = 73
L = 76
L = 76
G = 71
A = 65
T = 84
E = 69
S = 83
And he’s the third so add 3 which makes it 666. Let the Christians have fun with that one!
Yeah, mine definitely was not, and it was installed previously on Windows 7 and then carried over to my Windows 10 install.
Personally, I have enjoyed 10 a lot.
I bought a new Dell with 10 for work. Not only did dell install a security hole but I can’t seem to turn off the .icrosoft crap. Turned it off. It’s back on. Only now I can’t turn it off.
For the record, I am no computer whiz. However, I did upgrade to Windows 10.
Has anyone else here used Cortana? I am reluctant because to sign up sounded like I would have to give away all my personal information & browsing history. Not that I have anything to hide, but I still like my privacy. Also, whenever I try to see myself talking to a computer, no matter it “personable” it may appear, I feel stupid.
Am I just ignorant?
Ten seconds apart on the posting. That’s close. . .
If was in memory and had a name on it, I could have written a program to constantly terminate it. But you’d have to have my program running. I don’t have the spare cash to upgrade my Windows stuff right now and so few actually want it. Of course, if I wrote it, I would have no active spying in it, lol.
At the rate he’s going, I’m sure he’ll sign up for having it in the right-hand or the forehead if we’re that close.
;)
Thank you for this link. I have Win10 and really like it. Now I already had Spybot Search and Destroy, but it’s nice to know about Spybot Anti-Beacon and that I can immunize my computer for free.
F data mining/tracking Microsoft.
If Ihave Windows7 ,8,or 10 on my computer ,
and my ISP includes Wi-Fi as part of the package,
and my Android phone has 'sync' with my computer ,
and I do banking on my cellphone ,
does this mean that Micro$oft is getting a list of websites I visit, as well as my banking information ?
Well, golly, that looks just like my screen did after I updated WinXP..
With 10 probably. 8 and 7 I have no idea.
kevao- you can ‘hide’ that particular update so that it won’t be I n the list- Can’t remember how exactly, but I think you just right click it and select hide I believe-
You have to "hide" the update. First you uninstall KB3035583, then you run Windows update manually so KB3035583 reappears in the list of updates to install, then you right click it and select "Hide update." That should block the update permanently.
Thanks for good information. Sounds like you’ve been around the block once or twice.
Let me try one on ya. I have Windows 8.1. It was 8.1 to begin with but of course it has downloaded 10,000 updates or so (dozens, actually). I wanted a faster click-rate for gaming. Didn’t seem to get that accomplished. Or perhaps I did.
Anyways, NOW the mouse is all jacked up. It double- or triple-clicks like crazy. Trying to right-click to highlight text is almost impossible.
So now, I’d like to delete the driver and force it to d/l a new one (it’s a cheap mouse). But I’m used to doing this on older versions of Windows. So it doesn’t seem as simple.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/device-manager-windows-8.htm
Or you can try to find a driver at the manufacturer's website and install that.
(And when those doesn't work, get another mouse.)
I should have mentioned that you can simply delete the entry for your mouse in Device Manager, and the driver will reinstall when you reboot.
Thanks. Tried both of those to no avail. Sigh. Wondering if some parameters are stored in either an .ini or perhaps registry entries. I try to drag a window and it maximizes like it’s been double-clicked. It often takes several tries to get it to work.
1) As far as what data residing on your computer is shared (”data at rest”), I don’t know what Windows 10 or Windows 8 shares. I think you’re OK with Windows 7. As for “data at rest” on your phone, that depends upon if you bought your phone from your cellphone provider and if your provider installed some kind of backdoor into the phone or not. Chances are, it’s OK.
2) As far as data being lifted as your computer and phone syncs (”data in motion”), I would think that would depend upon whether the data is encrypted or not (and, to a degree, what kind of encryption is used). That is mostly based upon your banking software that you use to sync your data. The same thing applies to any other kind of sync software that you have installed.
3) I’m not sure what you mean by Wi-Fi being included as part of your package from your ISP. Are you talking about free access to WiFi hotspots at restaurants, stores, airports, etc? If that is the case, you want to be very, very careful when using those hotspots, but the primary threat comes from other users on that hostspot. Make sure you have a good personal firewall installed on your Windows computer when using a hotspot.
Gates hasn't been involved with Microsoft for several years now. He stepped down as President in 2008 and as Chairman in 2012.
It's worthwhile to note that ALL of this stuff CAN BE DISABLED. This is a testament to the ignorance of user communities. Take the time to dig around the settings of your OS. Whether it's MacOS, Windows, or even Linux, take an hour out of your day with your new computer (or old computer for that matter) and read every possible setting you can find under Control Panel.
Microsoft has a habit of burying things under layers of windows, but they don't make it impossible to find. You just have to exercise some tenacity.
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