[MPB]

Since this is just about the automatic updating system, just disable that part. I've got it disabled on all the systems here already, and in our upcoming Windows XP, yeah, it's turned off via the policies. Big whoop.

[Clive]

The problem is that most installers don't read the licence agreements and most just accept what is offered.

So the problem is not just whether the nice folks at Redmond have the right to browse through your system, they also may have been given the right to browse through the systems of the organizations with which you deal and to whom you may have given confidential information.

You might also want to take a close look at the agreement that you must accept when you do a manual download and install of an upgrade.