The meaning of Windows 10 Privacy Settings [rant]

Microsoft heavily pushes users to update their Windows 7 to Windows 10. Many resist. They are happy with the interface.

I’m dissapointed when I see Windows 10. I want to trust my operating system. I don’t want to be required to be online. I don’t want tracking. I have enough of this nonsense in Android and web.

“Use Bing to get search suggestions and web results in Windows Search, and let Microsoft use my search history, location and some account info to personalize my experiences”

It means when I want to find a file by name or by content, it will call to MS servers. It will also show results from web search Bing (owned by MS). It will also use stuff I searched, location and information from account like name to search on Bing to get “personalized experience”.

“In Internet Explorer, use page prediction to preload pages, which sends my browsing history to Microsoft”

A disturbing one. With this I wouldn’t enter my real name into Windows account and browse pornhub.com simultaneously.

Anyways this tries to guess which sites you will visit and download them beforehand. This will consume much more internet data and browser cache locally, but should be faster. But will these pages be fresh in this case? Depends how they implemented it. For me - useless function. Opera had something like this ages ago and I didn’t like it.

And it’s sending browsing history to Microsoft? Who knows, what they are using it for, except for page preload.

“Let apps use my name and account picture.”

Something like public profile on Facebook. Name and picture. Should applications have access to it? Why not, but only if you fake the name and picture….I really don’t like these types of applications.

“Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences accross apps”

Only this setting is Off by default (from July 2015). It means if you search for dildo in one application, it will show adverts for dildos in other applications.

Advertising ID is a unique ID for a user - YOU. When you log into multiple Windows 10 devices, the ID is the same and it treats adverts, tracking, behaviour model and everything as it were you in all devices.

“Let Windows and apps request my location from the Windows Location Platform”

I’m not sure what Windows Location Platform is, but why is this global? Useful for smartphones though, especially with popup window or quick enable from mobile dashboard.

“Get better protection from malware by sending info and files to Microsoft Active Protection Service when Windows Defender is turned on”

Which files? What information? Pressed keys? I wouldn’t trust this. Maybe I’m too paranoid, but maybe not.

And last thing - “Share info with Microsoft and other services”

This means your data will be spread around several companies and in several corners of internet. It may be sold to suspicious persons, blackmail you with your pornhub browse history, ruin your life or just show you adverts for BSDM brothels.

Almost all privacy settings in Windows 10 are On by default. Sony laptop.

You won’t escape Microsoft - http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/.

P.S. I may have exaggerated certain things I don’t know how it exactly works. But EULA is clear - they have a license to your data - so yes, they can do anything about it.