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What Win 10 means to your privacy

Some good tips on securing your system

         

tangor

9:42 pm on Aug 25, 2015 (gmt 0)

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All this means that it’s worth it to understand the implications of Windows 10 when it comes to privacy. Microsoft has said of Windows 10 on their blog that “we’re actively addressing modern security threats with advancements to strengthen identity protection and access control, information protection, and threat resistance.” It would seem that Windows 10 would be the answer to many common security woes but the problem is that while the operating system does certainly address the current “bait and hack” environment that the internet has evolved into, it brings along a fair amount of its own less-than-privacy-friendly issues that need to be dealt with.

[blog.reasoncoresecurity.com...]
A nicely structured look at the "invasive" parts of Win 10 and how to either disable or control them.

tangor

10:12 pm on Aug 25, 2015 (gmt 0)

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Even when told not to, Windows 10 just can’t stop talking to Microsoft
It's no wonder that privacy activists are up in arms.
by Peter Bright - Aug 13, 2015 3:34 am UTC
Windows 10 uses the Internet a lot to support many of its features. The operating system also sports numerous knobs to twiddle that are supposed to disable most of these features and the potentially privacy-compromising connections that go with them.

[arstechnica.com...]

tangor

10:13 pm on Aug 25, 2015 (gmt 0)

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How to reclaim your privacy in Windows 10, piece by piece
Windows 10 has deep cloud hooks and shares a lot of data with Microsoft in order to create a smart, seamless experience across devices. If you lean more towards privacy, here's how to disable all of it.

[pcworld.com...]

More details of the privacy settings....

bhukkel

10:15 pm on Aug 25, 2015 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I used this Shutup10 tool: [oo-software.com...]

Simple interface for all privacy settings.

Leosghost

12:28 pm on Aug 26, 2015 (gmt 0)

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Also..
[fix10.isleaked.com...]

Bear in mind MS may/will be able to revert most if not all of these privacy/security settings with "updates"..so it is not a "do it once and forget it" thing..

tangor

12:39 pm on Aug 26, 2015 (gmt 0)

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That is the crux of the matter ... and for those upgrading from 7 or 8x, any parental controls you may have set up have been REMOVED and the process for setting a new parental control GOES THROUGH MS SERVERS whether you like it or not.

BTW, MS does not tell you these controls have been rescinded.

Leosghost

1:31 pm on Aug 26, 2015 (gmt 0)

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BTW..I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that one can simply "edit host files" to stop win10 "spying"..

That doesn't work..for various reasons ..( see the conversation here for more details )
[dslreports.com...]
you'll need to "block" at the router level..
And again, they can just change the addresses that they use..
Install wireshark..learn how to use it, to see what is being communicated ( if it is not being sent encrypted ) and where it is going to..
( as I've said before ..if you run chrome..wireshark will open your eyes )

IanCP

10:06 pm on Aug 27, 2015 (gmt 0)

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Well here's a story I wouldn't have thought about, I bet no one else has either. Not having a Windows 10 "Family Account", I wouldn't know.

Windows 10 automatically sends parents detailed dossier of their children's internet history and computer use

"...Windows 10 sends a weekly “activity update” on childrens’ internet browsing and computer history to parents, by default and without telling anyone. The feature could be dangerous as well as embarrassing, users have pointed out, allowing parents to watch everything their children do on the computer...

...The feature appears to be turned on by default for family accounts — not notifying either children or their parents that they are being spied on — and was reported by parents who hadn’t asked for and weren’t aware of activating the feature themselves..."


[independent.co.uk ]

bill

1:03 am on Sep 10, 2015 (gmt 0)

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This article on Slate shows some steps you can take to protect your privacy on a Windows 10 installation. It's a decent step-by-step guide with screenshots.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html [slate.com]

Broken Windows Theory

Microsoft’s Windows 10 is a privacy nightmare. Here’s how to protect yourself.
...
By default, Windows 10 gives itself the right to pass loads of your data to Microsoft’s servers, use your bandwidth for Microsoft’s own purposes, and profile your Windows usage. Despite the accolades Microsoft has earned for finally doing its job, Windows 10 is currently a privacy morass in dire need of reform.

Leosghost

1:46 am on Sep 10, 2015 (gmt 0)

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Those steps will not lock it all down..and they can be reversed with any update that MS wishes to send the machine..

bill

4:58 am on Sep 11, 2015 (gmt 0)

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I don't think a definitive guide has been published yet as we're still learning what Windows 10 is doing. It's doubtful though that Microsoft would carte blanche overwrite user privacy preferences without a lot of people noticing and complaining. Sure, it's possible, but unlikely.