Worried that Windows 10 is 'spying' on you? Here's how to take back control

[allheart55 Cindy E]

 

 

The media is awash with FUD-ridden claims that Windows 10 is "spying" on users, sending to Microsoft all your data and secrets. It's total hogwash, and no one making these claims can produce a scrap of evidence to back up their claims.

 

I love the X-Files, and I enjoy a conspiracy theory as much as the other guy, but there needs to be evidence, and I've seen more far compelling evidence for the existence of Bigfoot, the Roswell crash, or the Lost City of Atlantis than I have for the allegation that Microsoft is using Windows 10 to spy on users.

 

And believe you me, I've spent countless hours searching for a smoking gun, with no success. Like my ZDNet colleague Simon Bisson, all I found was innocuous telemetry data.

 

This is why I've put the word "spying" in quotation marks in the title, and I'm only using this word because this is the word most commonly used by those concerned by this issue.

 

If you ask me whether I'm worried about using Windows 10, my answer would be "no." I have dozens of Windows 10 installations here and I'm not in the least bit worried.

 

But despite such reassurances, there are a lot of people who are concerned by this, and the fact that Microsoft isn't willing to give concerned users an official way to opt out from data collection (which I think is a bad idea) is adding fuel to the flames. After all, as Bisson pointed out, we live in "justifiably paranoid times," where governments and social media sites are slurping up user data.

 

What's wrong with a little protection?

 

If you are worried about Windows 10 privacy, I suggest that you take matters into your own hands and install a tool that allows you to shut down all the different ways that your PC is communicating with Microsoft. Be aware though that doing this will result in some features no longer being available, since a number of Windows 10 features rely on having a connection to the cloud.

 

 

Be careful though. I've come across a number of "Windows 10 privacy tools" from unknown sources that do who knows what. Some tools actively display ads, and one even installs a third-party tool that displays ads in other applications. Talk about taking what is a non-issue and blowing it up into a real problem! No self-respecting privacy tool should install adware onto a system. Period.

 

I've tried a number of Windows 10 privacy tools and boiled them down to two.

 

The first is Spybot Anti-Beacon. This is a one-click solution (along with an undo button in case things don't go as you planned) from a known developer that's been in the privacy business since 2000.

 

Another tool that I like is O&O Shut Up 10. This one is particularly useful if you have multiple PCs because it doesn't need to be installed and can be run from a USB flash drive. O&O also offers a good explanation as to why Windows 10 needs to be able to communicate with the cloud.

 

"As an example, Windows 10 can remind you to set off to the airport 30 minutes earlier due to traffic en route. In order to deliver this information to you, however, Windows 10 has to access your calendar entries, your mails (i.e. the airline confirmation email), your location and it has to have access to the internet to get traffic news."

 

I've tested both of these tools on a variety of systems and both utilities seem to do what it says it does on the tin, and nothing more.

 

If nothing else, they put you in charge of what happens to your data. If something stops working (or you break something) as a result of using these tools, well, that probably explains why Microsoft doesn't want you to have this sort of granular control over communications to and from your PC.

 

And if you're still worried, then fire up your PC, install Wireshark, and examine the packets yourself.

 

Source: zdnet

[Tony D]

Thanks Cindy. Those two tools make it easy. There are other ways to disable the data gathering without the use of tools.

 

Caution: there is a registry hack in here. Don't attempt a registry edit unless you're comfortable with the fact that you make really mess up your computer.

 

How to disable Telemetry and Data Collection in Windows 10

RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows errors and optimize system performance

 

 

Windows 10 now comes with the telemetry feature enabled by default which collects all sorts of user activity and sends it to Microsoft. Unfortunately, Microsoft has provided no way to disable it completely using the Settings app for Home and Pro editions of Windows 10. Only Enterprise users can turn it off. Here is a solution for editions other than Enterprise to disable Telemetry and Data Collection in Windows 10.

 

Before we start, I definitely should mention one fact. Beware Windows 7/Windows 8 users, your operating system might be spying on you as well! See the following article: Telemetry and Data Collection are coming to Windows 7 and Windows 8 too

 

Please find time to read the following article: Stop Windows 10 spying on you using just Windows Firewall. This might be interesting and useful for you. You can combine all mentioned tricks below with the Firewall tip.

 

As you use Windows 10, Microsoft will collect usage information. All its options are available in Settings -> Privacy - Feedback and Diagnostics.

 

There you can set the options "Diagnostic and usage data" to one of the following options, as described by Microsoft:

 

1. Basic
   Basic information is data that is vital to the operation of Windows. This data helps keep Windows and apps running properly by letting Microsoft know the capabilities of your device, what is installed, and whether Windows is operating correctly. This option also turns on basic error reporting back to Microsoft. If you select this option, we'll be able to provide updates to Windows (through Windows Update, including malicious software protection by the Malicious Software Removal Tool), but some apps and features may not work correctly or at all.
   
2. Enhanced
   Enhanced data includes all Basic data plus data about how you use Windows, such as how frequently or how long you use certain features or apps and which apps you use most often. This option also lets us collect enhanced diagnostic information, such as the memory state of your device when a system or app crash occurs, as well as measure reliability of devices, the operating system, and apps. If you select this option, we’ll be able to provide you with an enhanced and personalized Windows experience.
   
3. Full
   Full data includes all Basic and Enhanced data, and also turns on advanced diagnostic features that collect additional data from your device, such as system files or memory snapshots, which may unintentionally include parts of a document you were working on when a problem occurred. This information helps us further troubleshoot and fix problems. If an error report contains personal data, we won't use that information to identify, contact, or target advertising to you. This is the recommended option for the best Windows experience and the most effective troubleshooting.
   

The usage data monitoring setting can be set to Full out of the box, which is not acceptable for many users. Those users might want to turn off the data collection in Windows 10. This can be done with a Registry tweak. To disable Telemetry and Data Collection in Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, you need to do the following:

 

1. Open Registry Editor.
   
2. Go to the following Registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection
   Tip: You can access any desired Registry key with one click.
   If you do not have such a Registry key, then just create it.
    
    
   
3. There you need to create a new a 32-bit DWORD value named AllowTelemetry and set it to 0.
   

Now, you need to disable a couple of Windows services. Right click the File Explorer item in Windows 10 Start menu and pick Manage from its context menu:

 

 

Go to Services and Applications -> Services in the left pane. In the services list, disable the following services:

 

Diagnostics Tracking Service

dmwappushsvc

 

Update: Windows 10 version 1511 changed the Diagnostics Tracking Service to Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service. You will need to disable

 

Connected User Experiences and Telemetry

dmwappushsvc

 

Double click the mentioned services and pick "Disabled" for the startup type:

 

You need to restart Windows 10 for changes to take effect.

 

Tip: it is a good idea to check out rest of the options in the Settings app - >Privacy.

 

This should prevent Windows 10 from spying on you. If you have a more elegant solution for this or any questions, feel free to write a comment.

 

Source: http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-disable-telemetry-and-data-collection-in-windows-10/

[AWS]

Next time I have to boot to Windows 10 in bootcamp I'm going to use this.

[allheart55 Cindy E]

Me too. It's almost time for my weekly 10 boot.

[IceMan37]

Nice info Cindy & Tony. I so the same plus a bit more but this guide is more than good enough and I use Windows 10 every day.