While Windows 10 proved to be one of the best operating systems that Microsoft has released in some time, new reports are saying that it’s not enough to make up for parts of their previous platforms that may have contained spy features.
“Windows 8 included many of the same online features as are now raising hackles around the Internet. While it had no Cortana, it nonetheless integrated Web and local search, supported logging in and syncing settings with Microsoft Account, included online storage of encryption keys, and so on and so forth,” according to Arstechnica.
“While a few privacy advocates expressed concern at these features when the operating system was first released, the response was far more muted than the one we see today about Windows 10. But a new addition has led to accusations that Windows 8 now mimics one of Windows 10’s more problematic features:Â it reports information to Microsoft even when told not to.
The focus of this all is the Diagnostic Tracking service provided by Microsoft, which is also a part of Window’s 10. The article argues that Microsoft hasn’t been clear as to what information is being sent in the diagnostics reports. While Microsoft’s defense remains that the data collection from apps and crashed apps are strictly used to make a better platform, there is still concern over the fact that data could be sent unwillingly.
“But we continue to believe that people who do not wish to be a part of such data collection should have a clear and unambiguous way of opting out, and these opt-outs should be rigorous. Disabling CEIP, for example, should not only prevent systems from sending CEIP data, but it should also prevent systems from retrieving even configuration data from Microsoft’s own systems,” argues Arstechnica.
Instead, Arstechnica is calling for simpler settings to make users responsible for the transfer of data to Microsoft, more importantly, what data is transferred.
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