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A simple software setup has become another checkpoint in Microsoft’s expanding web of identity and control.Microsoft’s removal of phone activation for Windows and Office is another signal that the company is locking users into a fully connected, account-bound environment where privacy and ownership steadily fade.In the past, activating Windows could be done privately without linking the computer to any online profile. Users could install the system, call an automated number, and receive a confirmation code. No internet, no account, no tracking.That layer of independence is gone. Today, activation demands a Microsoft account and an active connection to the company’s servers.The...

This month's Security-only update package for Windows 7 includes an unexpected compatibility/telemetry component that has some skeptical users up in arms. As expected, Windows Update dropped off several packages of security and reliability fixes for Windows 7 earlier this week, part of the normal Patch Tuesday delivery cycle for every version of Windows. But some hawk-eyed observers noted a surprise in one of those Windows 7 packages. Under Microsoft's rules, what it calls "Security-only updates" are supposed to include, well, only security updates, not quality fixes or diagnostic tools. Nearly three years ago, Microsoft split its monthly update packages for...

North Korea Rebukes Russia’s Denial of Its ICBM Launch Russia called North Korea’s missile fired on July 4 an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) rather than an ICBM By Charlotte Gao August 11, 2017 As The Diplomat asked earlier: why is Russia denying that North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 4, 2017? North Korea is also asking the same question, and is apparently furious about Russia’s denial. On July 4, North Korea successfully flew an ICBM, the Hwasong-14. The ICBM launch was acknowledged around the world including United States, Japan, and South Korea — but not...

It’s no secret that Windows 10 records all sorts of usage information, some of which it feeds back to Microsoft. To help with the smooth running of Windows 10, and to get an idea of how users interact with the operating system, Microsoft collects telemetry data, which includes information on the device Windows 10 is running on, a list of installed apps, crash dumps, and more. Telemetry data recorded by Windows 10 is, in a nutshell, just technical information about the device the OS is on, and how Windows and any installed software is performing, but it can occasionally include...

We recently mused, half seriously, whether the entire point of the Windows 10 upgrade was to harvest your personal information. With Microsoft suffering from a serious case of Google envy, perhaps it felt it had some catching up to do. Now Microsoft is revamping the user-tracking tools in Windows 7 and 8 to harvest more data, via some new patches. All the updates can be removed post-installation – but all ensure the OS reports data to Microsoft even when asked not to, bypassing the hosts file and (hence) third-party privacy tools. This data can include how long you use apps,...