Beware Windows Media Player update - privacy concerns

Microsoft Windows Media Player ^ | March 9, 2016 | Self

[CedarDave]

I downloaded and installed some Windows updates yesterday after checking to hide Win 10 related updates and known phone-home privacy concerns. Though I have been running Windows 7 and the media player since receiving my machine late last summer, a WMP install note popped up requesting approval for what is either an update or new version. It came with "recommended" or "custom" setting selections. Microsoft was nice enough to tell me that "recommended" included a lot of phone-home settings to "enhance" my use. I immediately checked "custom" and unchecked about a half-dozen settings that would record or report my listening/media selections (they said no personal or identification information would be transmitted).

Apparently WMP 12 has been around for a while, but something triggered the installation screen and my looking over the installed list did not identify what it was.

In summary, beware of use of the "recommended" setting and what the implications are if you leave "custom" settings checked.

[CedarDave]

Awareness is power. Hope this helps.

[CedarDave]

An interesting encounter with Windows Media Player install screen.

[dayglored]

Windows Media Player "phone-home" default settings alert ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

Some worthwhile advice from CedarDave for Windows Media Player folks...

[laplata]

Thanks for the post, CedarDave.

[matthew fuller]

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

This is free, works great. Someone here on FR recommended it, and I love it.

[CedarDave]

For a complete listing of WMP privacy options, you can read their statement at the link (it includes pretty good instructions for avoiding phone-home settings).

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/windows-media-player-12-privacy-statement

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

BFL

[Cyclone59]

ping for video player

[W.]

I tried the Media Player update to either 11 or 12 but didn't like them as they did not do internet radio to my taste, so I dug around and found a copy of 10 and installed that. Rock and Roll!

[rarestia]

People are still using... WMP is still around? I’ve been using VLC for video and FUBAR for audio for years now. I didn’t think WMP was relevant.

[rarestia]

Correction: Foobar 2000.

[Paleo Pete]

I haven’t used WMP in years, didn’t trust them as far back as XP. I use Mplayer for Windows, works quite well and the only file type I ever found that it wouldn’t play was the videos made by my Pentax K-x DSLR I used for a couple of years. IT works fine with the video from the K30 I use now.

http://mplayerhq.hu/design7/news.html