EFF slaps Microsoft for Windows 10 privacy and user choice disregards

Posted on Friday, August 19 2016 @ 12:45 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is calling out Microsoft for its blatant disregard for user choice and privacy. The foundation slams Microsoft for its aggressive push to get Windows 10 on as many systems as possible, and argues that the new operating system sends an unprecedented amount of usage data back to Microsoft, especially if users opt in to use Cortana.
And while users can disable some of these settings, it is not a guarantee that your computer will stop talking to Microsoft’s servers. A significant issue is the telemetry data the company receives. While Microsoft insists that it aggregates and anonymizes this data, it hasn’t explained just how it does so. Microsoft also won’t say how long this data is retained, instead providing only general timeframes. Worse yet, unless you’re an enterprise user, no matter what, you have to share at least some of this telemetry data with Microsoft and there’s no way to opt-out of it.
EFF urges Microsoft to come clean, to acknowledge its missteps and to offer real and easy to use opt-outs for users who do not want to send back data to Microsoft. You can read the full piece over here.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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