Microsoft Does Not Plan To Change Data Gathering Policy
Last week, Forbes published an article stating that Microsoft planned to change its data gathering policy to enable users to control what data is shared. We reached out to Microsoft and were told that it has no plans to change its data gathering policies. A representative said, "There’s nothing new to share outside of this blog post." Forbes has updated its original article accordingly.
Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft substantially increased its data gathering services. Part of the data is gathered to optimize programs such as Cortana so that they can be more helpful to the user. Part of this data, however, is also gathered for advertising purposes.
Although Windows is still the leading OS used around the world, several new competitors such as Google’s Chrome OS, Android and other variations of Linux that are free to use have entered the market and chipped away at Microsoft’s marketshare. To combat these free OSes, Microsoft has been toying with the idea of making Windows a free service that collects advertising data from users to turn a profit.
Windows 10 was the first OS to start down this path, with Microsoft offering free upgrades to the operating system for millions of users around the world. The amount of data gathered by the OS, however, is intrusive, and it’s considered by some to be a violation of privacy. Many users have complained and requested the ability to regulate what information is shared.
For a more in-depth look at Microsoft’s data gathering policies, check out our coverage of the last policy update.
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Math Geek the makers of spybot have come out with a tool that shuts off a lot of the gathering. this one is pretty good and turns off a lot of things people did not know to turn off outside the privacy settings which actually turn off little to nothing.Reply
https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/
still if you use cortana, then nothing can be changed, there is no way to use it and not be spied on. it comes with the "service"
edit: it also works on win 7 and 8 to kill the new updates they put out mining those OS's as well. -
TechyInAZ Bummer. Honestly It's a bad idea for windows in my opinion. Less people will be wanting to get windows if it has ad garbage on it, making them more viable for Linux.Reply
If windows stays the way it is by being paid to get only, plus gets rid of most of the data tracking, it will be a good OS. I'll still be buying it (because I want to buy it).
If somebody wants to keep using Linux or another free OS, let them. -
alextheblue ReplyWindows 10 was the first OS to start down this path
It is the first MS OS to go down this path, yeah. Android and Chrome OS gather data for personalization, OS improvement, as well as advertising purposes and have done so for years. -
Math Geek i'd pay for it to not have the collecting done. in the past they had toyed with a free ad based version and a paid non-ad one which is fine to me since i won't use the free one. but to make it paid for (new copy is still $100) AND ad based is just too much to ask for many people.Reply
i know better tweaks are coming to kill the collecting based on the enterprise version which let's it be turned off. just got to be patient and it won't be long before we can kill all the nasty data gathering anyway. -
alextheblue ReplyBummer. Honestly It's a bad idea for windows in my opinion. Less people will be wanting to get windows if it has ad garbage on it, making them more viable for Linux.
Doesn't seem to be hurting Android usage. Ubuntu and Firefox OS aren't exactly cannibalizing Android sales.
If somebody wants to keep using Linux or another free OS, let them.
Wait, are you saying somehow something is preventing them from continuing to do so?? -
jimmysmitty Reply17508534 said:Bummer. Honestly It's a bad idea for windows in my opinion. Less people will be wanting to get windows if it has ad garbage on it, making them more viable for Linux.
If windows stays the way it is by being paid to get only, plus gets rid of most of the data tracking, it will be a good OS. I'll still be buying it (because I want to buy it).
If somebody wants to keep using Linux or another free OS, let them.
You wont find ads just floating around Windows. A lot of this pertains to the application store where you might see adds much like in the Google Play store or the Apple App store.
So for most desktop users it is not important unless they plan to use the Windows Store.
17508537 said:Windows 10 was the first OS to start down this path
It is the first MS OS to go down this path, yeah. Android and Chrome OS gather data for personalization, OS improvement, as well as advertising purposes and have done so for years.
Let us not forget even Apple does this for iOS. -
Math Geek apple has siri in the iWorld, google has their assistant and now MS has cortana. all the same idea, talk to the pc and it can do a lot handsfree.Reply
and windows has a store like itunes, google play and the others. they wanted a piece of that pie as well like apple and google enjoy. they get 40% of the cost of a program sold on the store. big money maker for apple and google so MS figured may as well also. -
Somasonic To be honest I would pay for Windows 10 if it meant I could turn off all this rubbish. As it stands I won't be touching it.Reply -
nebun remember....nothing is free...let me give you suggestion....start shutting down your computer, not let it got to sleep....in the middle of the night my system kept coming on when i installed windows 10....i removed it and went back to win 7 ultimate...now every night when i go to bed i shut down my computer....lesson learnedReply