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Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

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Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#161

Post by couchand »

mikegioia wrote: post #94
justThis1Post wrote: post #36

As time goes by, computer software begins to feel more and more hostile to the user. When I installed Windows 10, all the privacy settings made me feel like I was wrangling a beast rather than setting up something that would help me. I don't know if there's any solution or if privacy is just a remnant of the past. Is Linux any better? And is there any way to own a smartphone which is built not to leak my information,…

I don't know if there's any solution or if privacy is just a remnant of the past. This always irritates me when I see it (not specific to you). It's not a remnant of the past and there is of course a solution! The solution is trading some of the conveniences you think you need. The solution is for once trying something other than what you're used to. The reason why you (and everyone else who thinks this way) feel the…

Shout out for the N900. I've said for years I'd pay handily for an updated model. Your comment reminded me to check back on the Neo900 project, and it's still chugging along. Looks like they've started accepting pre-orders on the site.

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#162

Post by jdmichal »

prawn wrote: post #160
simoncion wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty common practice for a .com to run its backend stuff on the .net version of their .com domain. Also, if you know how CDNs tend to structure their DNS entries for their clients, you can remove all but seven of those entries from the list.

No average joe is going to know any of that though. If they saw or heard about that list, they'd be confused or freak out.

They would only freak out because some tech person is presenting the information to them in a way that makes them think they should.

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#163

Post by okasaki »

gnufrra wrote: post #89
blackbeard wrote: post #25

I'm starting to think I need to worry about things getting out of my firewall more than things getting in.

On my Mac I use Little Snitch to monitor outbound connections and I love it. I haven't found an equivalent simple and lightweight application for Windows yet.

I've looked at screenshots of Little Snitch and I don't understand why it's so interesting.

Isn't this what e.g. Zonealarm has been doing for 15 years on Windows?

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#164

Post by Aoyagi »

I don't see how is that strange considering in WP8 they send all primary contacts and calendar entries to THE CLOUD with no option to opt out and of course without telling the user, and considering what they've shown in Win10. Microsoft clearly hates privacy.

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#165

Post by x5n1 »

Istof wrote: post #124
andrewstuart2 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Privacy is a double-edged sword. If you want perfect privacy, you also throw away a lot of potential optimizations. For example, you may leak information about sites recently visited, updates applied, etc. if you have a local proxy cache and subsequently look at response timings.

is it even possible to get perfect privacy with a smart phone?

Nobody cares about perfect privacy, but people do care about Total Information Awareness. This is going in TIA direction, in fact it's already there. It's sickening. So I am happy to be a Linux user, and it's the right time to switch. Say goodbye to your corporate overlords and come on down here. The privacy is fine.

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#166

Post by Aoyagi »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #152

There may be too much paranoia here. I installed Windows 10. I turned off Cortana web search so it now only searches for stuff on my laptop. Convenient. I also turned off all camera and microphone use. Easy enough to turn on if I need it. Search for "privacy settings"' hit the first link and turn off what you want. (I turned off just about everything.) I think that as long as I use privacy badger in my web browsers,…

...what paranoia are you talking about? The data-slurping defaults are there, that's a fact. They are also (during the installation) hidden under a small link that barely looks like a link at all (not to mention the process necessary to make a local account). When a device is doing local search, there is absolutely no reason to phone anywhere other than sloppy design or more data-slurping.

Additionally, the worst thing is that the average Joe probably won't even notice all those obfuscated settings. Of course a power-user can disable most of it, but it's not about them and that shouldn't be a thing to begin with, especially in a paid software where we are supposed to be the customers.

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#167

Post by ptx »

mikegioia wrote: post #140
ptx wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There are new phones coming out like Ubuntu's and Mozilla's that, while not perfect, absolutely are better alternatives. The last time I checked, Mozilla's Firefox OS phones appeared to be sending all home screen search queries to some unknown company in Israel, with no clear way to disable it.

Where did you hear that? I'm unaware and couldn't find anything about it.

It's an official feature:

https://youtu.be/H9zwf0VMVDI

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2012/11/28/mozilla-invests-in-...

http://everything.me/about/

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#168

Post by mosselman »

foiboitoi wrote: post #128
wl wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterexample: Ubuntu sending local file system searches off to Amazon because apparently online shopping and file searching are things you want to do simultaneously.

The main difference between Ubuntu and Windows 10 is that Ubuntu will respect your decision to opt-out.

"Your information is ours unless you are aware of it and spend unreasonable amount of time searching for the information leaking settings and disabling them." Yaay

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#169

Post by tdkl »

jonlucc wrote: post #120
devindotcom wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder - does that get you in the door to do the free upgrade more than a year from now? I wouldn't mind upgrading once 10 has had a little time to age properly.

They already have a large update coming in the Fall and one next Spring that should bring additional features. Of course, fixes to things that are broken should be happening regularly.

> They already have a large update coming in the Fall and one next Spring that should bring additional features.

And this is relevant to a customer now as in what ?

I'm getting tired or too old for this "continuous, agile, push now make it work later" attitude of products that's out today.

Re: Windows 10 phones home when you search your start menu, even with Bing disabled

#170

Post by prawn »

jdmichal wrote: post #162
prawn wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No average joe is going to know any of that though. If they saw or heard about that list, they'd be confused or freak out.

They would only freak out because some tech person is presenting the information to them in a way that makes them think they should.

Tech people are the first ones to freak out about it. ;)
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