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Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

blogs.microsoft.com

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Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#21

Post by setquk »

glogla wrote: post #18
setquk wrote: post #9

Privacy: ability to opt out of all data collection. Microsoft privacy: inability to opt out of all data collection unless you pay for enterprise edition. This makes a mockery of any policy.

Also ads for Candy Crush in you operating system. Microsoft is scum. They have not changed from the 90s, they are just better at hiding it.

Yep. My only that some of the UWP apps you can’t uninstall easily like Xbox etc.

Really the deal breakers for me recently are:

1. Privacy defaults to none and can only be optimised for none in Windows 10. Only did they back down for enterprise customers because they know they wouldn’t get away with it.

2. Bundling of crapware.

3. Shipping on by default telemetry in dev toolchain (.net core)

4. Blinding marketing detracting from the masses of data collection.

5. Any attempts to confront this result in silence, “it’s good for you” or “tough shit”.

They’re not a good citizen. They just tell you they are.

Unfortunately my livelihood depends on them at least in the short term.

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#22

Post by Angostura »

vkou wrote: post #10
phs318u wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. There's no reason why Microsoft - a software and hardware maker - couldn't be more like (or even supercede) Apple in this regard - i.e. treat the user as the customer not the product. Further to that (without wanting to be cynical), it's probably also easier for MS to avoid the potentially complex jurisdictional issues that GDPR raises. One privacy code-base to rule them all.

> Agreed. There's no reason why Microsoft - a software and hardware maker - couldn't be more like (or even supercede) Apple in this regard - i.e. treat the user as the customer not the product. Besides Apple's sky-high margins and complete control over the iPhone ecosystem, with a vice-like grip on app developers, no reason whatsoever. If Microsoft made $400 per Windows PC that was sold, and 30 cents on every dollar…

For context, Microsoft's fiscal 4th quarter, as reported last July, saw profits of $6.5 billion, doubling year on year, largely due to strong growth in its cloud offering.

Strong privacy offerings might cut that to - what? $6bn?

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#23

Post by kartan »

a_imho wrote: post #11

I was just wondering whether there is an automatic update to Windows disabling (all?) telemetry, then let the user make the choice to opt in without grey UI patterns and fud.

Yes. I got my configuration reset and needed to set up some features again.

This is an example of what you get on startup, and cannot be skipped: https://twitter.com/baekdal/status/996391978957987845

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#24

Post by Krasnol »

willyyr wrote: post #15
toomanybeersies wrote: post #3

Here's a question I haven't seen asked or answered: Can I now (in 4 days time), ask Microsoft for all the data it's hoovered up from my Windows 10 installation? I've only seen people talking about GDPR as it applies to websites, but as far as I'm aware, it applies to all software.

There is an option to delete all diagnostic data collected (Windows 10 1803). You can find it under Settings->Privacy-> Diagnostics & feedback-> Delete diagnostic data. As others have mentioned you can access and manage it using the portal that is linked.* * I work at Microsoft.

Would that delete the data that has already been transferred to Microsoft?

And as others mentioned: the portal is useless for people without MS account. What about those?

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#25

Post by Fnoord »

glogla wrote: post #18
setquk wrote: post #9

Privacy: ability to opt out of all data collection. Microsoft privacy: inability to opt out of all data collection unless you pay for enterprise edition. This makes a mockery of any policy.

Also ads for Candy Crush in you operating system. Microsoft is scum. They have not changed from the 90s, they are just better at hiding it.

Microsoft is reinventing itself.

You can disable those ads. You can remove apps like Skype. Manually or with an app such as O&O Shut Up. I also use Classic Shell instead of the new start menu.

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#26

Post by gerdesj »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #3

Here's a question I haven't seen asked or answered: Can I now (in 4 days time), ask Microsoft for all the data it's hoovered up from my Windows 10 installation? I've only seen people talking about GDPR as it applies to websites, but as far as I'm aware, it applies to all software.

Can I now (in 4 days time), ask Microsoft for all the data it's hoovered up from my Windows 10 installation?

I'd also suggest asking for proof. For that you will require non encrypted traffic streams and/or source code ...

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#27

Post by ggg9990 »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #3

Here's a question I haven't seen asked or answered: Can I now (in 4 days time), ask Microsoft for all the data it's hoovered up from my Windows 10 installation? I've only seen people talking about GDPR as it applies to websites, but as far as I'm aware, it applies to all software.

If Microsoft is anything like my company, they’ve stopped collection on any PII that they can’t deliver back to the user in response to a privacy request. So they probably have stricken those columns from their DB and are only aggregating data.

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#28

Post by tonyedgecombe »

Fnoord wrote: post #25
glogla wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also ads for Candy Crush in you operating system. Microsoft is scum. They have not changed from the 90s, they are just better at hiding it.

Microsoft is reinventing itself. You can disable those ads. You can remove apps like Skype. Manually or with an app such as O&O Shut Up. I also use Classic Shell instead of the new start menu.

Microsoft is reinventing itself.

Really? I though that was just standard corporate marketing.

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#29

Post by setquk »

Fnoord wrote: post #25
glogla wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also ads for Candy Crush in you operating system. Microsoft is scum. They have not changed from the 90s, they are just better at hiding it.

Microsoft is reinventing itself. You can disable those ads. You can remove apps like Skype. Manually or with an app such as O&O Shut Up. I also use Classic Shell instead of the new start menu.

You're missing the point.

Do you buy a car and have to peel all the advertising stickers off the windscreen, disable the tracking devices and scrub candy crush off the dashboard.

Nope.

Re: Microsoft’s commitment to GDPR, privacy and customers’ control of their own data

#30

Post by tallanvor »

simfoo wrote: post #7
microtonal wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I now (in 4 days time), ask Microsoft for all the data it's hoovered up from my Windows 10 installation? Did you go to the dasboard linked in the article? https://account.microsoft.com/privacy It does show non-website data, such as voice queries, location data, media played, product & service performance, app & service activity, Cortana notebook (commute preferences, etc.). It seems that you can also clear this d…

But I don't have a Microsoft account (only ever used local accounts in Windows 10). How can I ask for all my data which is associated with my installation/license?

Go here: https://aka.ms/privacyresponse

I have no clue what information they'd need from you to answer that question, but at least you can get a response without having to send a physical letter.

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