Is Windows 10 Really a Free Upgrade?

[Kuttz]

Content source

http://wccftech.com/windows-10-privacy/

Are you still trying to stick to the optimistic side of the game waiting for Microsoft to somehow save its face when it comes to Windows 10 privacy concerns? Latest revelations might help you rethink the way you trust your Windows 10 powered machines.

Windows 10 and its invasive privacy strategies:
Windows 10 is becoming a major privacy disaster and latest revelations just take it up a notch higher, if that was a possibility. According to the latest discovery, Windows 10 is engaged in some dubious communications with Microsoft servers. We already knew that Windows 10 is committed to send some data even when you have disabled those settings, however, the OS is sending your private data without your consent and does that quite frequently too.

You might believe you are making your life more private by disabling all the settings that are set to sending data to Microsoft by default. The truth seems to be otherwise. A Czech publication has revealed that disabling these settings is actually futile. This analyst claims to have analyzed data coming from Windows 10 computers and shares that the keyboard input is stored in temporary files. This data is then periodically sent to the Microsoft telemetry servers. It doesn’t seem to matter if you use a Microsoft account to log on to your computer or not, the operating system sends your data no matter what, including your passwords.

Following are the instances reported by the analysts where it was discovered that data was being sent to the Microsoft servers:

• Text entered is stored in temporary files and an encrypted transfer is made once every 30 minutes to the following servers:
  • oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
  • pre.footprintpredict.com
  • reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
• The analyst found 35 MB of data being sent to the servers after the web camera was turned on for the first time after Windows 10 activation.
• It is further confirmed that the data from the voice port is indeed being transmitted even when Cortana is disabled. Over 80 MB of data is sent once every 15 minutes, when the computer is idle.

Folks at ArsTechnica also revealed similar results where they found that even with Cortana disabled, searching in Start menu sends requests to the Microsoft servers. It was further noted that Windows 10 sends data to servers related to One Drive when the service is itself disabled:

Windows 10 will periodically send data to a Microsoft server named ssw.live.com. This server seems to be used for OneDrive and some other Microsoft services. Windows 10 seems to transmit information to the server even when OneDrive is disabled and logins are using a local account that isn’t connected to a Microsoft Account. The exact nature of the information being sent isn’t clear—it appears to be referencing telemetry settings—and again, it’s not clear why any data is being sent at all.

And the most troubling part of all which confirms that data is still being delivered when you use a proxy,

We configured our test virtual machine to use an HTTP and HTTPS proxy (both as a user-level proxy and a system-wide proxy) so that we could more easily monitor its traffic, but Windows 10 seems to make requests to a content delivery network that bypass the proxy.

Microsoft is yet to explain whatever has been discovered since the past two weeks. For now, seems like privacy is topping the chart of the issues that Windows 10 is facing. But that’s not a first, we have already seen tech giants like Google and Apple hunting for more and more data. Let’s see where Microsoft draws a line, if it does decide to draw the limits somewhere.

 

[Deleted member 178]

Win10 privacy "issues" are not concerns to me.

I like the "we dont know what is being sent..."

if you dont know just stay quiet ! (To be polite)

 

[Kuttz]

Just quoted an article I found interesting that's all

 

[Deleted member 178]

Just quoted an article I found interesting that's all

i know, i say that to the writer that write an article about privacy without knowing the most important info : WHAT is sent

 

[jackuars]

Privacy is one thing that's been void ever since Internet came into existence. The best way to overcome this issue is to accept it the way it is.

 

[Azure]

Privacy is one thing that's been void ever since Internet came into existence. The best way to overcome this issue is to accept it the way it is.

I do agree that using the internet you lose some form of privacy. However I think the main problem lies in how much privacy a user has to lose.
For example, it's understandable for a website to know what OS and browser you are using but it would be questionable to have it find out what files and documents you have.

We lose privacy but gain some benefit. Data is send to Microsoft to help them improve their product, that's reasonable if the data they receive is without a doubt useful for that endeavor.

Once again, yes we lose privacy. But how much do we want to lose? Do we want to simply lose some or every privacy we have?

 

[Kuttz]

Privacy is one thing that's been void ever since Internet came into existence. The best way to overcome this issue is to accept it the way it is.

Yes you are correct that a person using the Internet had to compromise some privacy but to what extent is the question. For the last few years more and more information are being collected from the consumers which is a bit worrisome and some where there needs to be a line drawn. If Microsoft monitors keystrokes then what is the difference between malware keylogger and MS keylogger ?? Monitoring keystrokes is a bit too much for the piece of mind because whatever you enter including you Bank passwords, security codes all goes to Microsoft. There is nothing that justifies this keylog attempt my Microsoft.

 

[Atlas147]

If Microsoft monitors keystrokes then what is the difference between malware keylogger and MS keylogger ?? Monitoring keystrokes is a bit too much for the piece of mind because whatever you enter including you Bank passwords, security codes all goes to Microsoft. There is nothing that justifies this keylog attempt my Microsoft.

Have to agree with you on this, I completely understand why microsoft wants browser data, it's to serve personalized ads and stuff, but what is the use of keylogging? What could they possibly do with the information other than store it and wait for some huge breach to happen and apologize for losing the data? If they want to see sites we visit I'm sure looking at history would be more than enough, I don't even fully type my URLs anymore, my browser completes them for me, same with searches amongst other things.
Again absolutely no reason for the keylogging whatsoever

 

[jackuars]

Yes you are correct that a person using the Internet had to compromise some privacy but to what extent is the question. For the last few years more and more information are being collected from the consumers which is a bit worrisome and some where there needs to be a line drawn. If Microsoft monitors keystrokes then what is the difference between malware keylogger and MS keylogger ?? Monitoring keystrokes is a bit too much for the piece of mind because whatever you enter including you Bank passwords, security codes all goes to Microsoft. There is nothing that justifies this keylog attempt my Microsoft.

Yes you are correct that a person using the Internet had to compromise some privacy but to what extent is the question. For the last few years more and more information are being collected from the consumers which is a bit worrisome and some where there needs to be a line drawn. If Microsoft monitors keystrokes then what is the difference between malware keylogger and MS keylogger ?? Monitoring keystrokes is a bit too much for the piece of mind because whatever you enter including you Bank passwords, security codes all goes to Microsoft. There is nothing that justifies this keylog attempt my Microsoft.

I think you might be flabbergasted about the app permissions you allow to for installing most of them on your Android phones.

The so called "keylogger" issue was discussed by zdnet: Does Windows 10 really include a keylogger: Spoiler - No during it's Tech Preview days. The problem is that most privacy freaks hype up issues like this.

Windows 7, 8 or 10 had been using various privacy policies and so called message boards are getting filled up with the privacy concerns and stuff over the years. The same thing happen year after year. What's the change? We still use it.

And no, Microsoft doesn't need little cash that's lying in our banks.

 

[Azure]

@jackuars
That article is somewhat old, and it doesn't seem the author is interested in updating it.

Here's the Windows 10 privacy faq for those interested
Windows 10 and privacy - Microsoft Windows

And here you can find some articles regarding to privacy issues in Windows 10
Windows 10 Privacy | Wilders Security Forums
(Now it is up to the reader to determine if he/she finds this reliable.)

 

[Solarquest]

In my opinion privacy is a right...if someone wants to give up some, but not all, he/she should be asked and 100% clearly informed what information are collected and be able to choose which one can be collected.
If you don't know what's being collected and you cannot easily find it out you are a victim and sw producer should be fined and forced to change.
In my opinion, nobody byt the police has the right to spy someone's computer, even less his passwords.
As far as I know in many European countries privacy is well better protected, is a right...I believe we need more of that, more protection.