Nope...I was wearing a certain glove...so they didn't get crap. Hmmm...actually, they did. Bahaha.

Gloves wouldn't help.... they've got retina scanners that match results up with various internet profiles.... AND fingerprints.

Seriously, though, it is really disturbing how these multi-national companies [Apple. Microsoft, Google, Facebook] are going to extremes to infiltrate just about every facet of our lives... all in the name of sales and profit.  I mean, where does it stop?  It is fast approaching the time when Linux is looking good as an alternative OS.

Yes...just updated the No.3 comp to win 10....

That link to the file that handles all the spy crap....the one without the junk is junk itself....very little in the way of options.

The one with the addon junk is the one to use....far more function...

Jafo

reply 63

That link to the file that handles all the spy crap....the one without the junk is junk itself....very little in the way of options.

The one with the addon junk is the one to use....far more function...

That's interesting!  I guess the one with the [opt out] junk is the way to go, then.  Given the reaction to this built-in spyware I imagine other developers will come out with similar proggies to get in on the action.  Yup, there's likely to be quite a variety to choose from before long.

Despite allocating a machine, I still haven't decided for sure if/when I'll install Win 10 on it  While I'm a little curious about the new and improved features... the good ones, that is, I'm happy with how I have Win 8.1 set up and don't know that I want to venture too far away from it.

Hmmm, think I'll procrastinate a while longer.

MS will figure out that spying via software, where it can be easily 'seen', just ruffles too many feathers.  It'll take some collaboration, but they'll move all their spying efforts to firmware at some point.

I don't care what MS does with Win 10 cos I'm not likely to be using it... like the more I procrastinate the less I want it on any of my machines.

If I ever install it - and that's a big  IF -  it'll be on some inconsequential old machine that'd only get connected to the internet around update time... given there are any updates worth having.  Other than that, I'll be sticking with Win 8.1... until MS starts loading that with invasive software/firmware and fechen advertising. 

If/when that happens I'll go to Unbuntu and/or Mint or Robolinux., cos I will not tolerate being spied upon for the purpose of being targeted by unsolicited advertising.

The point is new machines are/can be infected with spying capability, turned on by default, in BIOS.  Won't matter what OS you use.  MS cuts a deal with the hardware manufacturer, like the NSA most likely already has,  & the OS itself has to do nothing you can see to monitor everything you do.

Great post Doc, I just cross posted this (giving you full credit of course) over on my Facebook for some of my friends to read.

This is a pretty good guide. http://www.ghacks.net/2015/07/30/windows-10-and-privacy/

That may be so, and I'd hazard a guess that most OEMs have it preloaded, though I've not noticed anything untoward on my little HP machine.  I just wonder how far that would go with home builds, whether or not they have the same snoop abilities.  All my desktop machines are self- built, and Windows has served me well to date, but a switch to Ubuntu or other Linux distro is very much on the cards should MS continue along its current path.

Regarding the specific point originally brought up in the original post.

1) The Privacy Policy.  Obviously the majority of it has been removed for maximum effect but you'll find a similar policy with any USA based company that stores data.  They're basically saying that if LEO's coming knocking at the door for your data, they will give it to them.  Check your ISP, I'd put money on them having the same policy, at least for you US based viewers.  Have a website?  Ditto for your hosting company.  I know, I used to work for one.  I can't speak to other countries though.

2)  Cortana.  In other words it does EXACTLY the same thing that any other predictive system does.  Siri?  Does exactly the same thing.  Doesn't even have to be voice.  Google does the same thing for Instant Search by default.  If you don't like it, turn it off.  It's not hard.

3)  Data Syncing.  Again, EXACTLY the same thing their competition has been doing for some time now.

4)  Targeted Ads.  Again, this is old news.  Everybody is doing it.

If your privacy is that important to you, you shouldn't be on the internet.  It's that simple.  Privacy vs Convenience had a war and privacy lost some time ago.  Do these companies have "evil" reasons for doing this?  Sure.  Most corporations are driven by greed.  If they can make more money off you, they are going to.  However, these waves of anti-Windows 10 posts are ignoring the amount of features that NEED this level of invasive mining to work.  Features that the majority of Joe Public wants.  Therefore you can expect things to keep heading that direction.

For those of you riding the Microsoft is evil train, let me ask you this.  How much is your privacy worth to you?  Actually think about that, rather than just give the knee jerk reaction that my information is my own.  While in principal I agree with that statement, there's more to it than that.  Here's what I mean by that.  

Facebook, for example, does nothing of worth to me.  Therefore I have no incentive to sign up for an account and give them access to my data.  Pretty straight forward.  We can put a little check mark in that privacy box.

Cortana/Siri.  Things start getting a little grayer here.  If I'm on vacation, I like being able to pull out my mobile device and ask it to find a restaurant and be greeted with results in the right physical area rather than find somewhere to park, pull over, and do a manual search for locations in whatever city I'm in which are going to be somewhat inaccurate anyways.  That requires access to my location at a minimum.  In order for that system to work well, it needs an ever expanding sample of both raw data and voice sample's itself.  Is having my phone's OS know where I am worth that added convenience?  I'm willing to bet that for the vast majority of people, the answer to that is yes.

Data Syncing.  Again, this isn't so cut and dry for the majority of people.  If you're the type that takes a lot of pictures or video with your phone, having it automatically backed up is a feature most people would like.  On a PC, many people pay for software to do that for them.  Remember, iCloud got hacked.  How many people do you think stopped using it after that?  I'll bet it was almost nobody.  At least not after the first time they lost an ever so important selfie or picture of their cat.  Ditto for the more personal information like contacts.  Most people LOVE having their contacts automatically synced across multiple devices.  Tell people they can buy a new phone and it will automatically have all their contacts on it?  Most people will love it.  Regarding specifically the Bitlocker aspect, that's along the same lines as the WiFi sense argument that was made in a different thread.  OK, IF OneDrive is hacked, somebody will have access to your Bitlocker key.  OK, now what?  They don't have the computer the key belongs to, so what exactly is this doing for them?  So, is having Microsoft have access to my data worth it in exchange for free automatic backups?  Again, for the vast majority, the answer is going to be yes.

The only way you're going to have true data privacy is if you unplug and live in a box.  We live in a day where nearly everything is available in "Smart" form.  Things like home automation rely on having access to information like your location and schedule to work.  Most people see this thing as "the future".

I'd also put money on most of you not being nearly as secure as you think you are.  

I've upgraded 4 computers at the house to 10 and don't regret it in the slightest.

Yes, Facebook is something people can easily just NOT BOTHER WITH.  Its sole reason for existing [on-selling data-mined information] can be avoided.

A computer's OS is an entirely different matter.

People simply CANNOT avoid having at least 'something' with an OS on it.

With Microsoft's fetishistic obsession with new and sexy ways to access your inside leg measurement et al, it's painfully obvious there are going to be concerns/needs to opt out from at least SOME if not ALL of the 'new and improved' bullshit features that are a double-edged sword, nothing more.

Not exactly!  I have oodles of data stored on external drives that are connected to a standalone PC which is not net enabled.

As for the targeted ads, if they were opt in it'd be more acceptable, but enabled by default in Win 10, not on, not on any machine of mine, not ever.  I go to great lengths to avoid advertising on my PCs, TV, everywhere, so they've go a snowball's chance in hell of getting me to sign up for it.

So you're saying you don't have any data that's not stored on that standalone PC and that PC is never hooked up to a network?

And I'd agree on the targeted ads.  I'd prefer all of these option default to off.  But they CAN be turned off.  Deciding not to upgrade just because you have to turn something off is just silly.

Yes, I obviously have some data on net connected machines, but all that stuff I want to be personal [documents, photos and family stuff] I keep on the externals connected to the non-net enabled machine. If for any reason I need to connect it for updates, etc, I just unplug the drives until I'm done.... hence the externals rather than internal HDDs.

It doesn't matter where you look these days, advertising executives have plastered ads on just about every unused place - on taxis, buses, trucks and trains; on billboards beside every road and highway; on the sides of buildings everywhere; plastered across and throughout every magazine and newspaper; on every TV and radio station.  For mine, the ****s have more than enough exposure without paying Microsoft to deliver even more unwanted crap down my throat.  I want my PC to be free of all and any commercial crap unless I subscribe to selected traders, etc.  Everything else is unwelcome!

As for not upgrading to Win 10, it is not entirely because of advertising, though a significant enough deterrent.  No, it's more about the snooping and prying into personal files and folders, sharing that information with 3rd parties and using MY resources for purposes not benefiting me... and that's not silly.   My sister recently told me that while she was upgrading to Win 10, a download of 3gb, 11.6gb was uploaded as well.  She states that nothing else was uploaded during that time and that her broadband service was reduced to dialup speed for 3 days because her 100gb per month quota expired sooner than was budgeted for.  That is serious shit and tantamount to theft.

So in principle, my refusal to upgrade to Win 10 is just that, a matter of principle.... not wanting to be caught up in the commercial bullshit MS has decided to engage in to betray its loyal customers, of whom, most are totally oblivious to the fact they are no longer OS licensees but data mines and commercial guinea pigs to profit yet another company that's [now more than ever] driven by sheer greed.  I have boycotted a number of companies and products because of greed and unethical practices in the past and morally I'll continue to do so... because I can.

Oh, and about turning off all these nasty features, who's to say MS can't reactivate them remotely?   I was revealed that Samsung could reactivate voice controls on TVs remotely when customers turned them off over privacy concerns... and being these 'features' and their intent are documented in the EULA, Microsoft could well argue it is entitled to... or disable the OS if users repeatedly turn them off.  At the end of the day MS thinks it has everyone by the short n' curlies because Mac is way too expensive, Linux has too steep a learning curve and Win 10 is the last edition ever.  Well not this black duck!  I can and will turn to Linux when Win 8.1 is either too compromised or becomes unsupported/obsolete.