Windows 10 privacy gotchas

The list goes on and on. At least, not by privacy concious customers anyhow. Reading rants about Windows 10 privacy on Facebook is particularly ironic. Enhanced multitasking functions made it much easier for users to run multiple programs smoothly, a thing we may take for granted when we have 10 tabs open along with Spotify and Word. Slowly but steadily reports started pouring in that Windows 10 has a built-in piracy kill switch. The next build, which was to be the “Final Beta Release”, finally brought us the clouds and flying Windows logo that have since become synonymous with Windows 95.

The truth is nowhere near as dystopian though. These stem largely from a new Microsoft services agreement which covers select Windows 10 apps and services such as Cortana, Skype and Xbox Live: “We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices“.

Last month, just in time for Windows 95 turning 20, Microsoft launched Windows 10, the first overhaul of the software in three years. Also, there is no indication that this will ever be used to target third-party games, which is highly unlikely. While TorrentFreak claims that there is no evidence to support this claim, nor that Microsoft could access the local disks of its users, it seems that the mere thought of this being a possibility has set alarm bells ringing for certain torrent trackers.

The reality, however, is that Windows 10 isn’t doing a heck of a lot different than its predecessors do.

“Microsoft decided to revoke any kind of data protection and submit whatever they can gather to not only themselves, but also others”, said iTS.

Another common complaint is that Microsoft shares data with MarkMonitor, a company that provides “full-spectrum anti-piracy solutions for digital content”.

There are genuine concerns that Windows 10 sends personal information about computers to Microsoft, even if users have changed all their settings to tell it not to do so.

Twenty years in the past, Microsoft modified the world. The very same thing is available today, so it was clearly a smart decision from the company, which had to convince users that Windows 95 was the OS of the future. Still, the connection is raising red flags with other tracker operators as well.

Although by no means the first version of the graphical user interface, Windows 95 started a cultural revolution and introduced a number of features, like the taskbar, that are still in use today – in fact, the Start menu that first debuted in Windows 95 has just been re-introduced in Windows 10 due to popular demand. But there’s a whole other level of internet piracy, and it happens on private torrent groups.

The same sentiment is shared at FSC where staff also informed users about the threat.

But they appear to have gained momentum because of the genuine concerns about tracking and spying in Windows 10. You as a member should know, that we as a site are thinking about banning the OS from FSC.