Don’t believe Microsoft’s latest privacy hype

[Karlston]

The company could easily give users the ability to control what information is sent to it, but that’s not what it has in mind.

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In late January, Microsoft embarked on a PR blitz to reassure Windows users that the company has their privacy in mind. To prove what it called its continuing devotion to privacy, it announced a new tool for Windows, the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer, that will be available in the operating system’s next semiannual update.

 

The tool, Microsoft said in a blog post by Windows Device Group privacy officer Marisa Rogers, is part of Microsoft’s commitment to be “fully transparent on the diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices, how it is used, and to provide you with increased control over that data.” A beta of the tool was made available for anyone who signs up to be a Windows Insider and downloads the preview version of the next Windows update.

 

Microsoft got plenty of kudos for the new tool. For the company, that was mission accomplished.

 

But it was anything but that for users. The Diagnostic Data Viewer is a tool that only a programmer could love — or understand. Mere mortals, and even plenty of programmers, will be baffled by it, and they won’t gain the slightest understanding of what data Microsoft gathers about them.

 

First, a bit of background. Microsoft gathers diagnostic data about the way people use Windows and then uses that information to improve the way Windows works. Nothing nefarious there; it’s a good way for the company to make Windows better for everyone.

 

The issue for privacy advocates and many individual users is control and transparency. Those advocates want people to know exactly what data is being gathered and sent to Microsoft, and they want users to be able to control that.

 

Microsoft claims that’s what the Diagnostic Data Viewer tool does. But that’s not quite true, for several reasons. The first, as already noted, is that the tool is exceedingly difficult to understand. You can’t, for example, ask it to show you detailed, easy-to-understand information about the data being sent to Microsoft about your hardware and the way you use it — model and make of devices attached to your PC, your app and Windows feature usage, samples of inking and typing output, the health of your operating system and more.

 

Instead, you scroll or search through incomprehensible headings such as “Census.Flighting,” and “DxgKrnlTelemetryGPUAdapterInventoryV2,” with no explanation of what those headings mean. And then when you view the data in any heading, you see an even more incomprehensible, lengthy listing, such as this tiny excerpt from “Census.Hardware”:

 

“cV: “zNWezO9CsEmjb5B,0”,

“cV: :y7iOzuVXL)mj+F9j,0”,

Each listing has lines and lines like that, all in a code to which users have no key.

 

Will such listings help you know what information Microsoft is gathering about your PC and Windows use? Unless you’re privy to what those codes mean and can decipher the format they’re in, the answer is no.

 

That’s just the beginning, though. Because even if you could understand the information Microsoft gathers about you for diagnostic purposes, there’s not much you can do to stop the company from gathering it. Like it or not, it grabs the information, and you can’t stop it. OK, there is one small loophole.

 

Currently, if you want to control what diagnostic information Microsoft gets about your use of Windows 10, you go to Settings > Privacy > Feedback & Diagnostics. At the top of the screen, under the Diagnostic Data setting, you have two choices: Basic or Full. When you choose Basic, only “data necessary to keep Windows up to date and secure,” is sent, in Microsoft’s description. If you choose Full, much more information is sent, including “additional diagnostic data (including browser, app and feature usage, and inking and typing data).” But there’s no way to exclude even the Basic data from being sent.

 

That one small loophole? If you use the Enterprise Edition of Windows 10, you can stop all data from being sent. But all other Windows 10 users are out of luck.

 

Microsoft should change this. It should release a simple-to-use tool that shows in granular detail and in plain English exactly what diagnostic information is being sent to Microsoft. People should then be allowed to opt in or out for every type of diagnostic information that is sent. And everyone should be able to do that, not just those who have a specific version of Windows 10.

 

Microsoft already has a very useful model for doing this. Its web-based Privacy dashboard lets you view and clear your search history, browsing history, location history and information gathered by Cortana. The dashboard is simple, clearly designed and takes only a few minutes to use. There’s no reason the company can’t give you the same kind of control over the information that Windows gathers about you. If Microsoft truly wanted to be seen as a company that cares about your privacy, that’s exactly what it would do. Here’s hoping that when the final version of the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer is released, it will do just that.

 

Source: Don’t believe Microsoft’s latest privacy hype (Computerworld - Preston Gralla)

[steven36]

Back when i was running Windows quite often  there was this one web site that had pirated  IPTV  on it and  Windows would block  me from the site i could run cc cleaner  and reboot and  the site would come back for  awhile then it would vanish again ..I was using a vpn  and tested it with many different ips  and it was always the same results . Over on Linux the site always works . And its not just me its been happening to people for years  on windows .

 

Proof:   How to fix random blocking of websites in Windows 10 April 26th  2016.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-networking-winpc/how-to-fix-random-blocking-of-websites-in-windows/0f554ea0-b70c-4452-b704-7bc144e67d80?auth=1

 

 

Little things like this,  is why i stay away from windows  most of the time  I would not trust them if my life depended on it.

[straycat19]

I, on the other hand, have never had windows block a website I wanted to visit, though my security settings may block it and I would have to relax them in order to visit it.  I feel very confident using Windows 7 and 8.1 (with no updates as those who have read my previous posts know) that it will do what I want it to without putting any of my data at risk.  My personal security settings and the fact that I use Windows in a VM which has no access to the host system or any external components (no shared drives or folders) has kept me safe for a number of years.  And that is why I will never run Windows 10.  I don't get into a battle between Linux and Windows because they both have their uses, I use both and have for over 20 years, I just inform people that Linux isn't the very secure no bugs operating system that people like to make it out to be.  Over the years Linux has been slow to adopt new peripherals and thus created problems using devices that are supported by windows when released. So a lot of the time it can't be used with cutting edge hardware technology unless the manufacturer provides linux drivers.

[steven36]

10 hours ago, straycat19 said:

Windows 7 and 8.1

Windows 8.1  is no better than Windows 10  I'm sorry to tell you if you ever put  on a ip sniffer  , That's were Windows as a service got its start  .Windows 10 is more successful than that OS  ever was they sold less copies of it than they did Vista even and  it was  that reason Steve quit or got fired or what ever happened .  And when you say Linux the last time  you got and OS screwed up with the Linux kernel witch  is not and OS no way  the Linux kernel is in Android  , Cars , IOT devices,  etc .you don't seem  to even know now nothing about what Linux is even. The  kernel is just one thing  in a Linux distro that gets security updates.  The OS i use  Ubuntu only  had 84 Vulnerabilities  and  Windows 7 had 229 in 2017. Why don't  they put the Windows kernel up there?  on the list . 1. its closed source and the NSA  most likely lives  in it but know one really knows..2. Its not worth nothing to no one but Microsoft

 

 

 

Also you're delusional  Windows is closed source  so  the code is not in the open for people to find   easy and fix like on Linux also you  got Google paying to find things in Linux  ,Redhat,  Oracle and more because it's in there OSes  . Microsoft tries to  get away with putting off  and hiding Vulnerabilities they was the whole reason they put a 90 day time line on Vulnerabilities because Google was exposing them . All those out breaks of ransomware  last year did not even effect Linux  . Any ransomware that was ever found on Linux was easily cracked.  Most people on Linux Desktop  don't ever use any security software and they never have no problem and on windows it's a multi  billion dollar industry.

 

Windows is about one thing passing the buck  even if  security companies have to make up exploits to keep you buying  and windows 7  is the next XP   and will be phased out of businesses soon  its already 2018  then in a few years after 2020 you want be able to find a browser update for it even . You will be paying for Windows while Android and Linux users get there updates for free . One thing Windows do best ,  they control  there users  and it don't matter if  millions of you stay behind  because they have over a billion  who want.  and they will get you in the end anyway or you  will switch to something not windows.   You don't know nothing about Linux so you preach Microsoft  because that's all you know. Nothing wrong with that,  if you actuality used  the latest tech,  but you preach about using a 8 year old OS and as soon as 2020 comes  even most windows users will think you're lame  just like they picked on XP users here after 2014.

 

I use to be like you  I stayed on XP for 10 years and moved right to windows 7  and   Windows was all i knew. When you talk about windows  7 it don't mean nothing to me i left it  way back in 2013 and never looked  back then you try to tell me about Windows 8.1 something I used for years. I used  it a lot more than you ever did MR. Win 7 lol tell Windows 10  came out and I found Linux. All you  Windows 10 haters was hating on Windows 8. Woody  and the rest of you back when i was on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 came out and all the sudden it became great  because you can turn off updates but that still don't stop it calling home to mama . LOL the OS i use  now was made in 2017  and I  can still turn off updates.   I can even turn them off  in Windows 10 never been no trouble to me .

 

Linux makes  so much money for businesses that Microsoft even joined Linux  and only the trouble Linux  ever have with vendors  that don't not want make  drivers anymore  is with NVIDIA and Linus told them if they don't want to support Linux them to go F*U*K  themselves .   But NVIDIA will run just fine in Linux as long as you use X and not Wayland . So the next Ubuntu LTS release will be X by default  and if you have AMD or Intel hardware you can enable  Wayland if you want to keep testing it .

 

 

My friend  just built a brand new gaming PC  with NVIDIA and AMD hardware  16 GB of Ram  and water cooling   and they dual boot Windows 10 Enterprise with Linux Mint just fine thank you very much. They say  they have the place to put 16 more GB  in and they will  do another upgrade when they get the money.

 

 

 

Sorry  for the rant but after 8 years hearing about Windows 7 and Windows 8.1   its gets old and crusty  and talking about  Windows 10 got old 2 years ago because they talked about about it  everyday for a year.  And if they never make nothing else  Windows  users  are  doomed to talk about it the rest of there life.

 

And that stuff you're spewing  about the Linux kernel is older than Windows 7 if you research it  but still the fact remains  most all of us Linux users are Anti-virus free  and never have no trouble.  the Linux kernel is more robust  and  always been that way. And with all the crap people pay for , steal or whatever for security on windows , all it does is take  a few exploits to infect millions . but if they didn't use it, it would be a million times worse.

 

You hatters act like security updates are bad thing but there not  as long as they been tested  not to mess something up and Microsoft don't  like releasing them but   once a month and put spy-ware and everything else  in them and are always  messing  up after a year to 3 months knowing about them   . Thats  not my problem  that stuff don't roll on Linux .