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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

#41

Post by Kim_Bruning »

Angostura wrote: post #22
vkou wrote: post #10

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. 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?

Leveling the playing field means that people who provide good privacy options are no longer out-false-competed in a race to the bottom.

It's entirely plausible that companies will actually see their income increase.

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

#42

Post by Kim_Bruning »

kartan wrote: post #23
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

I keep looking for the "None" option; but I guess that's Enterprise only?

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

#43

Post by jenscow »

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.

Agreed.

They're no longer selling software licences, but targeted ads based on what you do locally on your personal computer.

And people "allow" this by not jumping through hoops to disable it.

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

#44

Post by adventured »

setquk wrote: post #29
Fnoord wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> Do you buy a car and have to peel all the advertising stickers off the windscreen

Yep, something akin to that. Nearly all dealerships - whether luxury brands or not - place some form of dealership identification / promotion on your car when you buy it and without asking permission. That can be a sticker in the door well, it can be an obnoxious attached badge physically on the car surface (never happens with luxury dealerships), it can be a license plate frame, and so on.

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

#45

Post by isostatic »

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.

> Privacy: ability to opt out of all data collection.

GDPR - I would expect that, for windows (which I believe comes pre-loaded with spyware), you would have to explicitly opt in

> Microsoft privacy: inability to opt out of all data collection unless you pay for enterprise edition.

Which just proves that it isn't essential to be opted in

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

#46

Post by isostatic »

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 are nowhere near as relavant now as in the 90s. In the 90s you had no real choice - even at the end of the decade there were a lot of things that linux couldn't do.

In today's world where the OS is the web, that doesn't really apply.

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

#47

Post by setquk »

adventured wrote: post #44
setquk wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> Do you buy a car and have to peel all the advertising stickers off the windscreen Yep, something akin to that. Nearly all dealerships - whether luxury brands or not - place some form of dealership identification / promotion on your car when you buy it and without asking permission. That can be a sticker in the door well, it can be an obnoxious attached badge physically on the car surface (never happens with luxury…

That isn’t the norm here in the UK at least.

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

#49

Post by ionised »

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.

Why not allow to me to stop that collection in the first place?

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

#50

Post by microtonal »

setquk wrote: post #38
microtonal wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What Guitar Hero crap? Honestly asking, I have never seen anything related to Guitar Hero on my Mac.

Probably means Garage Band, which is free multi-track recording software. How dare they ship privacy respecting productivity software with their OS instead of Candy Crush!

Ah, thanks. For some reason, it didn't click for me. Probably because I always do a fresh install after buying a new Mac (which does not install Garage Band).

But indeed, are we really comparing a productivity tool that isn't used to extract more money to a third-party game that thrives on in-app purchases?

I guess that Windows users are generally less upset about such bundling, since OEMs have done it for years.

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