HP accused of installing spyware on Windows 10 PCs

UPDATE:
In a statement to Engadget, HP said this service has been part of the HP Support Assistant since 2014.

HP Touchpoint Analytics is a service we have offered since 2014 as part of HP Support Assistant. It anonymously collects diagnostic information about hardware performance. No data is shared with HP unless access is expressly granted. Customers can opt-out or uninstall the service at any time. HP Touchpoint Analytics was recently updated and there were no changes to privacy settings as part of this update. We take customer privacy very seriously and act in accordance with a strict policy, available here.

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Users of HP computers with Windows 10 are accusing the company of installing spyware on their PCs without permission. Earlier this month, an update was pushed out that secretly installed HP Touchpoint Analytics Client. Investigation of this tool reveals it's a telemetry-capturing system that uploads data to HP's servers on a daily basis.

ExtremeTech reports it's not clear whether the tool got pushed out via HP or Microsoft.

Earlier reports posted on BleepingComputer and Reddit date the installation to the middle of November. HP’s own website ironically states that it plans to disable TouchPoint Analytics because it’s rolled that feature into a different type of service. Specifically: “The HP Touchpoint Manager technology is now being delivered as a part of HP Device as a Service (DaaS) Analytics and Proactive Management capabilities. Therefore, HP is discontinuing the self-managed HP Touchpoint Manager solution.” There’s some evidence to suggest laptops are running significantly hotter thanks to this self-installed malware as well.

The exact purpose of this telemetry tool is unknown and it's outrageous that HP automatically installed this program without explicit user permission. Details on how to deactivate and uninstall HP Touchpoint Analytics Client can be found at PC Mag.