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Windows 10's 'built-in keylogger'?


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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/07/...ollection/

Windows 10's 'built-in keylogger'? Ha ha, says Microsoft no, it just monitors your typing

YOU said it was OK when you installed that Technical Preview

By Neil McAllister, 7 Oct 2014

Don't want Microsoft tracking you online and collecting data on your computing habits? Then you probably shouldn't install the Windows 10 Technical Preview, Redmond says.

The interwebs were abuzz on Monday over concerns about the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy of Microsoft's newly released, not-even-beta-yet OS, with some sites going as far as to claim that Windows 10 comes with a "built-in keylogger" to watch users' every move.

Turns out these Chicken Littles were right sort of but according to Microsoft they should have known about the data collection from the get-go, because they agreed to it.

"With Windows 10, we're kicking off the largest ever open collaborative development effort that will change the way we build and deliver Windows," a Redmond spokesperson told El Reg in an emailed statement. "Users who join the Windows Insider Program and opt-in to the Windows 10 Technical Preview are choosing to provide data and feedback that will help shape the best Windows experience for our customers."

And sure enough, although Microsoft isn't providing detailed information about what it's monitoring and how, the red flags for privacy freaks are all there in the legalese everyone breezed through before downloading the preview.

According to the Windows Insider Program's Terms of Use, "The purpose of the Program is to ... provide Microsoft with feedback and detailed usage data about all activities occurring on those devices so that Microsoft and its partners can improve their products and services."

That explicitly includes "personal information," the terms go on to say, and Microsoft might even contact program members with additional information that is personalized just for them.

The program's Privacy Statement gives a few hints about what kind of stuff Microsoft is looking for. Redmond reserves the right to collect such info as, "your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage."

The Technical Preview also phones home with data about the files you open and "performance or usage information," including what program features you use most often and how long the system takes to respond to clicks.

And then there's this gem, which is the one that got everyone moaning about keyloggers:

[When you] enter text, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving autocomplete and spellcheck features.

Microsoft hasn't said just how many of those typed characters it might collect or how often, but this is in fact something that the Windows 10 Technical Preview might do.

Does this mean Microsoft is planning to use Windows 10 to swipe everyone's online banking passwords? The chances are slim to none although if you do your online banking on a prerelease test version of Windows with an experimental build of Internet Explorer, you deserve what you get.

Microsoft does, however, seem to be getting more aggressive about the kind of user experience data collection it has been building into prerelease versions of its flagship products for several years now. (Remember all the user data that Redmond said went into crafting the Office Ribbon UI? Where do you suppose it came from?)

How much of this data-collection the shipping version of Windows 10 will do remains to be seen.

"As we get closer to a final product, we will continue to share information through our terms of service and privacy statement about how customer data is collected and used, as well as what choices and controls are available," Microsoft told The Reg.

For now, though, bear in mind that when you fire up the Windows 10 Technical Preview, you are definitely being watched. But you knew that.

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Dont know why they think keylogging can help them improve windows

A few million of us openly told them directly we didnt want thsoe stinking tiles or the start menu to disappear in windows 8 and they ignore us for nearly 2 years before it was released.....

So yeah, f%^k you Microsoft, you werent listening to feedback then.....

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@stylemessiah: It seems like the higher the windows versions go, more spying is taking place. Why do not they stop spending time on spying and spend their f...ing time to develop a stable windows. More I think about this, I think I will end up with some stable open source OS.

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Why do people install this TP ? Where they forced, do they not read or was it to just say "i have Win10".

Terms were in EULA, MS said NOT to use it in a production environment and is purely for gathering FEEDBACK on use of the OS.

If you installed it and actually used it for banking online, email etc, you must be an idiot (and were told TP not for noobs) but do you think MS is going to hack you account LOL.

Those who activated with MTK, added WMC , watched weird p0rn, tried cracked programs etc, do you really think MS even cares about this and you will reported ?

Just much ado about nothing for MS haters and tinfoil hat brigade to write about IMHO.

MS never listened to feedback about 8 ( obviously regretted), but now they are listening and trying to make Win10 the OS we all want and they want/need feedback on how OS is used, bugs etc for a stable OS.

I have no problems with that, why complain, simply uninstall .

I look forward to the CP begining of next year, which promises a lot more features than TP and trying every build i can, same as Win8/8.1, BUT, if the Win 10 RTM has anything privacy wise i am not comfortable with or unable to circumvent, i just will not install it, simple as that :)

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Why do people install this TP ? Where they forced, do they not read or was it to just say "i have Win10".

Terms were in EULA, MS said NOT to use it in a production environment and is purely for gathering FEEDBACK on use of the OS.

If you installed it and actually used it for banking online, email etc, you must be an idiot (and were told TP not for noobs) but do you think MS is going to hack you account LOL.

Those who activated with MTK, added WMC , watched weird p0rn, tried cracked programs etc, do you really think MS even cares about this and you will reported ?

Just much ado about nothing for MS haters and tinfoil hat brigade to write about IMHO.

MS never listened to feedback about 8 ( obviously regretted), but now they are listening and trying to make Win10 the OS we all want and they want/need feedback on how OS is used, bugs etc for a stable OS.

I have no problems with that, why complain, simply uninstall .

I look forward to the CP begining of next year, which promises a lot more features than TP and trying every build i can, same as Win8/8.1, BUT, if the Win 10 RTM has anything privacy wise i am not comfortable with or unable to circumvent, i just will not install it, simple as that :)

tezza,

Your post should be included in EULA. Exactly how you wrote! Maybe in this maner, all those who complain and cry for their ”privacy” will understand how things are.

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Yeah I just wiped out Windows 10 TP from my HTPC laptop. Whenever it woke up from sleep, the HDMI sound output would be lost. Went back to Win8.1Update1 and all is well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I posted it earlier,Windoows 10 - Guide -Way to Disable Keylogger

after installing windows 10 and before creating ur account pls open cmd.exe

with Shift + F10

use Sc.exe to delete the 2 services

run this:

Code:

sc delete dmwappushsvc

sc delete diagtrack

and deny system accessing the file AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl with cacls

go to the dir

Code:

cd c:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Diagnosis\etlogs\autologger

echo "" > AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl

cacls AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl /d SYSTEM

thats all

Edit

i run a test for day all good

but its running under the hood / kernel its very hard to ensure

i had no system crash or hiccups from this

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