German Data Protection Agency confirms Windows 10 Enterprise can fully deactivate all Microsoft telemetry

[Sylence]

 

European and particularly German Data Protection Regulators have been having a long-running issue with Microsoft regarding the data its operating system sends back to Microsoft.

The concern is that the telemetry the OS sends back can include personal information, such as email addresses and text snippets being sent back in keyboard and auto-correct telemetry data. This has resulted in German data protection agencies announcing that Windows 10 is not GDPR-compliant and was not fit for use in schools and government work for example.

Microsoft has made efforts to be compliant with the rules, for example moving their servers into the EU, and today Microsoft scored a significant win, after the Bayerischen Landesamts für Datenschutzaufsicht — Bavarian agency for data protection, announced that Windows 10 Enterprise version 1909 (and Education) does not send back any telemetry data to Microsoft when properly configured for this purpose.

 

This testing was completed in December 2019 and was done in a laboratory environment with Microsoft staff in attendance. It included setting the telemetry settings to ‘security’ and using recommended Microsoft tools and settings to further adjust what data is collected. Monitoring the network the computers were placed on showed no data was being transmitted except for certificate requests (though even this could be deactivated), though the agency noted that this needed to be confirmed in a real-world setting.

The agency was not able to configure Windows 10 Pro (and Home) in a similar fashion, but this should mean that where data privacy is essential telemetry collected by Windows 10 Enterprise should no longer be an issue, saying:

Should this result in real use of Windows 10 at companies confirm then at least dealing with telemetry data in Windows 10 Enterprise (also in managed environments) does not constitute an obstacle to data protection law of this operating system.

The information is contained in a report which can be seen here.

 

MSpoweruser

[steven36]

All PCs  in the consumer market  come  with   Home are  Pro . Enterprise is no benefit to home users unless they steal it and if you have to steal your OS to think you may have privacy the point is moot  because it illegal it could even get you in serious  trouble in most places if M$ wanted to press it. But the realty is you want be able to really prove it don't spy on you because it is proprietary . Just like when people run test to try too prove it does spy on you,  all test  are inclusive because the code is  proprietary . If the German  Goverment want software that don't spy on them they need to use open source .

 

 

I'm sure using enterprise is better than using the home or pro versions  even if there was a way to prove it dont spy on you and it want ever be  unless M$ makes windows open source  . All this proves  is what we already know  Microsoft  only cares about  there Enterprise Customers  they quit caring about consumers when they released Windows 8/ 8.1 and no one bought it.  They release  buggy versions of Windows 10 for consumers to test   and they use telemetry to tell them what needs to be  fixed  by the time Enterprise Customers upgrade in a production environment it been tested  1st by insiders and then consumers and most bugs are out  it.  They used  telemetry long before Windows 10  was made . They was a opt out for in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Home and Pro versions  even.

 

Microsoft's  problem is they make too many versions of Windows they need  to do like Apple  and Google and make one good version  that is free upgrades to everyone . Enterprise should be  better because  these business pay  big money  for contracts and they trying  to hold them hostage with a monthly  fee  for windows 365  (Windows as a service )  The problem being  Home users dont have no real  options on Windows and they  not bought it since was Windows 7 was new. Who wants to go out and buy a new PC with Windows 10 Home or PRO and have to steal enterprise just to get a stable OS?   it's a oxymoron and thats  part of the reason  why  Android have a billion more users than Microsoft now .

 

 

Most consumers dont care about privacy no way ( they care more about stability and ease of use  , ) Only they privacy nuts and  governments care about privacy and the goverment dont care  about the general public  only reason the German Goverment  is running useless test on close source software is because they dont want  hacked  and they want to be able keep goverment info classified and good luck with that  because they dont need info from Microsoft to hack Windows 10.  The info Big Tech gives them is just a small amount of data they collect.. The problem  with Governments  is  most in office are computer illiterate  and are not qualified to make decisions on it   . Even the FBI , CIA and NSA with the money to buy the best experts in the world all have been hacked before , all it takes is one mole on the inside . It dont matter how much money you got because even the richest man in the world  was hacked by state hackers. The more famous you are  .Rich , Famous or Goverment the more likely you will be hacked 

[mp68terr]

Quote

...announced that Windows 10 Enterprise version 1909 (and Education) does not send back any telemetry data to Microsoft when properly configured for this purpose...

And what will happen after updates?

Does the Bavarian agency for data protection plan to test every single version?

[steven36]

2 hours ago, mp68terr said:

And what will happen after updates?

Does the Bavarian agency for data protection plan to test every single version?

If these test meant  anything at all the fact that any version of windows 10  can be used to collect info would  be  good enough reason for the EU to sue Microsoft for  Antitrust ,

Quote

The agency notes that the situation is different for Windows 10 Pro (and Home) systems as data collecting cannot be disabled completely in those editions of Windows 10.

Because the fact is  when German consumers buy PCs they not offered a Enterprise  option. It just like when the Netherlands let Microsoft slide  by with  putting smoke and  mirrors in Windows 10 Home and Pro before  .  This info contradicts  the EU  letting Microsoft off the hook a  few years back even . This info is  no more valid than the Netherlands finding was. What good is a nation were only the goverment is protected ?  Sooner or latter someone is  going to take some work home with them and state hackers will have access to  it . It happen to the NSA before even. Fact is Windows 10 dont have to spy on you it could be another app they installed  thats what happen to NSA when that guy took work home with him.

 

Also these test was only  done in a lab they not been tested in the real world or monitored  for updates to see what it does

Quote

The test results need to be verified in real-world scenarios according to the agency.

 

At the end of the day  its still trustware people  who use enterprise versions have to trust Microsoft has there best interest  because it's closed source the NSA  is not going to tell Microsoft to patch any of there exploits unless  it's been compromised or  retired .  Also  the  German goverment already done found Windows Office 365 spies on you what they plain  to use for it? They told schools not to use it but they dont tell consumers or private  business not to use it . Only privacy test  i see ran  so far from  Germany   is to protect data at a state and goverment  level  its no benefit to the general public,  Goverment espionage is not really  a privacy activist fight thats the governments fight! Privacy activist fight is to expose espionage by governments and tech  on the general public .

 

Further more  they post no proof of concept or tell private  business how to block it. Without proof its just words.   So how is it any benefit to anyone other than being good PR  for Microsoft?  It still want  make  Windows 10  appeal to consumers  because  privacy is not reason why they switch to other OS  . Because Android is no better for privacy. When Facebook got fined  it was because they exposed consumers  data not the Governments . When data leaks from The USA  they ban the company  and people go to jail sometimes

 

The EU is too easy to get over on because they dont really have any home grown options and have been over depended on the USA every since World War 2  . In Germany's  case before the USSR fell they was depended  on the USA and the USSR they was divided for many years.  They should be doing like China and Russia and  working toward removing Windows from Goverment . It is USA based software after all.

 

EU and the USA are like you rub my back ill rub yours  . The worse thing they will do is fine a business for Antitrust in return the USA dont ban nothing made in the EU . China and Russia bans anything they dont like from the USA and the USA bans there stuff. Always politics  will get in the way of the EU's and USA  privacy and security because of world trade and being allies . West Germany is home to a big U.S. military base the USA been stationed over there   every since Hitler  fell from power. 

 

The EU uses Antitrust to there advantage want some roads paved  and fund some goverment  programs fine big tech . But the root of the problem still exist . US Antitrust Laws are enforced to protect the consumers by protecting the competition, not competitors. Only thing EU Antitrust Laws  is for is profit of the Goverment  because Big Tech  has the EU bought out . what alternative do the EU provide for windows  , android or IOS?  None that i know of   .

 

Since hardly no consumers buy  Microsoft stuff any more just in the enterprise  they dont really  qualify for Antitrust lawsuits in the USA they after the others  that still make  consumer products people buy . so what consumers they have left they can do what ever they want to them and they know it. US Antitrust Laws are enforced to protect the consumer not businesses , or the goverment .  For Big Tech to violate the USA Goverment rights they would have prove they violated the constitution.