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Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#21

Post by holografix »

jinst8gmi wrote: post #5

"44.5 billion minutes spent by users in the Microsoft Edge browser across Windows 10 devices" I wonder how much of that was spent downloading Firefox or Chrome? "30% more Bing search queries per Windows 10 device versus previous versions of the OS" I can't imagine that this is due to anything other than the OS and browser defaults?

Have you tried changing the default search engine? It's SIGNIFICANTLY convoluted. It took me about ten minutes to figure it out and I am 100% confident my parent would be incapable of changing it. I've watched them try.

Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#22

Post by TeMPOraL »

crummy wrote: post #18
DanBC wrote: post #14

When your start menu (or whatever the hell it's called now) serves you ads you know you can give up on that OS and that the vendor does not care about the user.

Like Ubuntu?

Yup. What the hell are these people thinking? That an operating system is a shopping mall?...

... and they're probably right anyway. Computing went mainstream, people who need tools and not toys are niche now, and mass market doesn't cater to niches.

Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#23

Post by DanBC »

crummy wrote: post #18
DanBC wrote: post #14

When your start menu (or whatever the hell it's called now) serves you ads you know you can give up on that OS and that the vendor does not care about the user.

Like Ubuntu?

Yes, probably.

Windows 8.1 with Bing (come on, who thought that's a good name for an OS?) has tiles that are ads for aps and games in various stores. No searching needed, these ads are baked in and served when you click start button. (Or whatever that's called now.)

Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#24

Post by ionised »

tomswartz07 wrote: post #6

Here's a 100% serious question: If you 'absolutely must' use Windows 10, would it be possible to firewall off every outbound port from this machine to prevent this sort of tracking? Or does it just use Port 80, piggybacking on the normal http traffic? Has anyone done a comprehensive analysis of exactly how this info is being sent?

I doubt you could with Windows Firewall, but my firewall (Comodo) seems to do the job.

You can find all the known domains and addresses for the Microsoft telemetry and advertising networks through some searching online. I added them all to my hosts file as well as block lists in Comodo Firewall.

I did both because I assume Microsoft has wired access for some of these services in such a way that the hosts file would be ignored, as well as Windows Firewall.

I have my firewall also set to request user action on EVERY outgoing connection (all incoming stealthed, so no open or closed response) and so far all I have allowed out in terms of Windows processes is Windows Update. I haven't even allowed the error reporting.

The OS is still ticking along just fine.

Honestly though this whole approach they ahve taken with Windows 10 has really turned me off. It reeks of anti-consumerism. I basically just use this Windows 10 machine as a gaming machine now, and all my personal and professional computing is done on a separate Debian machine.

Microsoft won't be getting another penny from me for anything ever again.

Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#26

Post by akerro »

crummy wrote: post #18
DanBC wrote: post #14

When your start menu (or whatever the hell it's called now) serves you ads you know you can give up on that OS and that the vendor does not care about the user.

Like Ubuntu?

In Ubuntu you can remove it very easily, in Windows if you disable one tracking or telemetry feature it will turn itself on after some time.

Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#27

Post by TeMPOraL »

DanBC wrote: post #23
crummy wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like Ubuntu?

Yes, probably. Windows 8.1 with Bing (come on, who thought that's a good name for an OS?) has tiles that are ads for aps and games in various stores. No searching needed, these ads are baked in and served when you click start button. (Or whatever that's called now.)

For context (to explain your "probably") - Ubuntu in its Unity UI serves Amazon product search in its "start menu".

Re: Microsoft reveals details of Windows 10 usage tracking

#29

Post by skrowl »

MikeNomad wrote: post #13

Not having read the EULA / Terms of Service (I don't run Windows 10), Would running a script to turn off / block the tracking and data collection violate the agreements?

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection add a new 32 dword "AllowTelemetry" and set the value to 0.

Then, open Services and stop & change startup to disabled on "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry" and "dmwappushservice".

There are bunches of tools and scripts around to do it, but those 2 things are really all that you need to do. Microsoft doesn't stop you from "opting out" of Telemetry by making these changes. All windows updates / etc still work.

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