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This is a perhaps a more eloquent and elaborated presentation of what I was wanting to speak in the thread 7-times Microsoft MVP finds Windows 10 Enterprise collects too much data at minimum, calls for legal action. The relevant links from that thread are these: Windows, Spying, and a Twitter Rant Screenshots showing high levels of contact with Microsoft servers after employing all efforts to stop data-transmission Additional screenshots of further Microsoft server activity, discovered later I would like to give some personal commentary to the subject that those links are about. If a politician steals millions of taxpayer dollars, which is only a few cents from each person, they go to jail. So what about when Microsoft is continuously piggy-backing on everybody's PC systems to enrich themselves? Microsoft is using people's own hardware, software licenses, electricity, computing power, data, time, and private activity for non-sanctioned business use, and the profit of Microsoft's executives. Microsoft's data-mining is no different than a virus that is distributed to people's PCs to min mines digital coins using their CPU and CPU power, with the earnings being deposited in the e-wallet of the virus' creator. You could also look at it like someone setting up a mining farm, but connecting all their systems to their neighbour's electricity supply - except that in the case of Microsoft's data-mining, they are not using their own hardware, software licenses, and everything else, but those of the people whose systems are sending data to Microsoft... and so the coin-mining virus is a more suitable analogy. Every aspect of Microsoft collecting data from people's PC systems and personally-owned Windows licenses is already established in law as being illegal. But some people are taking a bit of time to work through the understanding that leads to that recognition, because software-license owners are traditionally just not on the lookout for stuff like this and usually just focus on using their software, and not technical legal aspects or ethical implications behind its operation. Also, Microsoft being a well-known company whose products people have used for years throws a lot of people for a loop, I think, because they are used to just assuming that whatever they're doing must check out, somehow. Well, this doesn't. It's illegal from head to toe. It's theft, but it's also Unjust Enrichment - which is the situation where one party is making profit for itself at the unjust expense of others. A current UE case involves ZeniMax targeting Samsung for Unjust Enrichment over VR technology that ZeniMax claims belongs to them but is profiting Samsung. If you unilaterally utilize somebody property, or copyrights to make yourself money, who is legally entitled to the proceeds? Legal entitlement goes to whom the required property and rights that the profit is dependent upon belong to. A person who argues that by using Windows 10 a person agrees to send Microsoft their data would be wrong, because sending Microsoft data is not essential to making use of the software functionality that was paid for when buying a Windows license, and so conditioning usage of the paid-for functionality on unrelated and Microsoft-profiting access to personal and private data would not pass the Reasonable Person test. Also, such an argument would be in ignorance that the data sent to Microsoft doesn't come from only the owned software license, but also a person's personally-owned hardware, electricity, computational time, uniquely-generated data, and personal / private activity - things for which there can be no entitlement for Microsoft to use any more than a car salesperson can claim that if you buy a vehicle from them, then they have access to use your garage and everything in it, including the power source hooked up to it. Additionally, the idea that Microsoft could exert any authority over an instance of the Windows OS after they've sold the license that represents the OS instance to somebody is a violation of the first-sale doctrine, which makes clear that such authorities and privileges pass to the owner of the property, in this case, the owner of the software license and the instance of the OS it represents, once it is sold. And the SCOTUS has just made a unanimous, 8 - 0 in favour, re-affirmation that decision-making rights leave from the seller to the buyer at the first-sale of an item. I fully believe that seven-times Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award recipient Mark Burnett is right when he says "What we need to do is fix this, even if that means getting lawmakers involved. It can only get worse from here". Though, I believe it is important for big reasons beyond simple control and security of the OS. Microsoft is stealing digital property, computational power, and electrical resources from everybody, and is making non-licensed usage of people's hardware property, the housing of that hardware, and are exploiting people's personal behaviours while those people are staying within their personal and private spaces (non-online activities). And in the process of violating Windows license-owners' rights over their property, resources, time, and behaviour, Microsoft is unjustly enriching its company and executives. If action is not taken against those who commit these violations, then all established societal and legal notions of what property is, who possesses decision-making rights over it, how much a person can use their position to unfairly exploit others against their natural desire... then all existing understanding of those things becomes argued against, and a precedent is established where a person's property is anyone's to use by unilateral decision, and a seller of goods can enslave and overrule aspects of people's own private lives and property as part of their conditions for their sale. Effectively, a sale becomes not a transaction of goods for money, but a mechanism for enslavement and subjugation, with the seller acting as if they held a commercial license over a plethora of the buyer's possessions and entitlements. A person whose personal and private PC system environment (non-online spaces) is sending data to Microsoft through telemetry, data-collection, and analytics of their behaviour is an employee of Microsoft who does not get paid, or receive any company benefits.

This was originally a post I made in the Tech News forum, and concerns the data-collection of Windows 10. Nobody has agreed to grant Microsoft rights to their personal data by purchasing or installing Windows - and all data that is personally generated by a person's hardware, their owned software-licenses, their time, and their electricity costs, is their personally-owned data, and represents work that a person's property created, through their owner's personal expense, and time. Further, I believe it would not be legally-defensible for Microsoft to imply anywhere in their EULA that they do have such rights to people's personal data - noting that EULAs are not laws, but are subject to laws, and noting that there are legal protections against unfair contract terms, which I believe any clause claiming a person's personally-owned data becomes Microsoft's would be a perfect example of (and without such a claim, Microsoft cannot legally claim a right to take people's data). I would say that this applies to the taking of data at any level, but Windows 10 doesn't allow for complete shut-off of all data-stealing, so let's just go with the most basic level of data-taking for this point, which will also be the least-disputable: When Microsoft unilaterally takes peoples data, it's stealing what doesn't belong to it, what was generated by someone else's work and property, and what the person that data belongs to is not being compensated for. It's piracy, and it's the very same piracy as a gamer downloading games they didn't pay for, and deriving benefit from them, such as entertainment - or productivity and money, if it's a productivity application, or maybe an OS. It's the taking of data which a person does not own, for benefit. How can Microsoft claim to be anti-piracy, when they are the biggest committers and condoners (by example) of piracy in the world? And, if Microsoft unilaterally decides that it is entitled to pirate everyone's data form them, so that they can make profit off of that data, then why should everyone else not pirate Microsoft's software? What justification exists that would support a double-standard, where software developers base their business-model upon piracy, yet individuals should be expected to pay for software from people and companies who are stealing their personal data, and profiting off of it? Something to think about, which I think the answer is obvious in being that Microsoft's data-collection is a major issue, and is criminal, and sets the example that it's OK for people to take whatever data they want, without paying for it, and without permission - which is software piracy. I don't think that should be the case, and I don't think that's what's right, but that's what Microsoft's conduct is saying is right, in their view, and is setting the example for other people to follow. And the same also applies regarding the conduct of other companies that do the same thing, such as Nvidia. Again, data that is created by a person's bought hardware and software licenses, which is produced by their system's processing power and resources, on the person's own time, and using the person's own paid-for electricity is theirs, and property rights apply to it. For Microsoft, Nvidia, or anyone to unilaterally take that data for their own purposes, and for them to profit off of it (which they do), is for them to commit data-theft, and to profit off of the proceeds of crime. Essentially, Microsoft and developers who behave similarly are criminal organizations.

If you are aware of updated information regarding telemetry and data collection in Windows 7 / 8 / 10, or know improved methods to disable it, please share it. For Windows 10 General Privacy Guide's for Windows 10 version 1803 and 1809 This guide includes instructions on how to disable or remove various invasive or unwanted aspects of Windows 10. Some of what the guide includes instructions for: - Basic Windows 10 set-up choices - How to remove various apps, such as Windows Store, and other native Win 10 apps - How to disable Cortana via registry - How to remove various telemetry services and scheduled tasks Some of what this guide shows instructions for may already be done by programs such as O&O ShutUp10. For 1803: https://fdossena.com/?p=w10debotnet/index_1803.frag For 1809: https://fdossena.com/?p=w10debotnet/index_1809.frag For 1903: https://fdossena.com/?p=w10debotnet/index_1903.frag Using an edition of Windows 10 that lets you set the telemetry as low as possible Windows 10 Enterprise and LTSC allow you to use the group policy editor to lower the amount of data-harvesting to Security Only. The Security Only setting may appear in Windows 10 Pro, but setting the group policy to that setting in Pro doesn't have any effect as the Telemetry Only setting is disconnected from any functionality in Pro. Licenses for Windows 10 Enterprise and LTSC can be purchased for cheap off of eBay. To set data-collection to Security Only in Windows 10 Enterprise and LTSC: 1. Open the group policy editor 2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Data Collection and Preview Builds 3. From the list of that sections policies, double-click on the policy titled Allow Telemetry 4. Set the policy to Enabled, and then set the policy to Security Only from the drop-down box 5. Click OK to close the window O&O ShutUp10 O&O ShutUp10 is an excellent free piece of software that provides many options to reduce the amount of data that is harvested by Microsoft. I strongly recommend using it and reading the description of each item that can be enabled or disabled to stop a lot of unwanted data-harvesting. Quoted from the developer's website: O&O ShutUp10: https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 Setting up a custom firewall to block Microsoft telemetry servers Download and install this custom hosts file, and this custom PeerBlock Microsoft IP list which is regularly updated from information obtained via Wireshark: https://encrypt-the-planet.com/windows-10-anti-spy-host-file/ Review this thorough guide (a website account is needed to view it): https://encrypt-the-planet.com/completely-disable-windows-10-telemetry/ Spybot Anti-Beacon Another good tool for blocking unwanted communication between a PC and Microsoft. It adds a lot of IPs to the Windows hosts file Spybot Anti-Beacon: https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/ Debloat Windows 10 Use the free Debloat Windows 10 script to do as it says in its description: Debloat Windows 10: https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10/blob/master/scripts/block-telemetry.ps1 Manually block Microsoft data-collection servers in your Windows hosts file There have been suggestions that Windows 10 ignores Microsoft servers in the hosts file, but Spybot Anti-Beacon adds a bunch of Microsoft servers to it and so maybe they know something different. The Windows hosts file is located at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. To open it, right-click and select "Open with", then choose Notepad and press OK. Then save the file when you're done editing it and then close it. You can try adding these Microsoft data-collection servers to your Windows hosts file: Disconnect Microsoft telemetry server connections From: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/configure-windows-diagnostic-data-in-your-organization (US page) And: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/privacy/configure-windows-diagnostic-data-in-your-organization (UK page) More details on Windows 10 endpoints and ways to disconnect them: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/manage-windows-endpoints My Digital Life's excellent repository on Windows 10 telemetry and its removal that contains sections on: Delete Telemetry Services Delete Remnants of Diagtrack and Cortana Task Scheduler Block IP Re-Routing Hosts File Block Packages Uninstall Lists PEERBLOCK for Blocking Telemetry Windows 10 IP Range Block List Apps Online Uninstall Link: [REPO] Windows 10 TELEMETRY REPOSITORY Disable Windows 10 Telemetry Service Disclaimer: This suggestion has been reported to be deprecated and so likely has no effect on the amount of telemetry Windows 10 collects It was previously suggested that some Windows 10 telemetry and data collection could be disabled by doing the following: Go to Services and Applications -> Services in the left pane. In the services list, disable the following service: Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service (called "Diagnostics Tracking Service" in Windows 10 version 1151 and earlier) dmwappushsvc Again, doing this likely has no effect on the level of telemetry that is collected. For Windows 7 and 8 The surest way to run Windows 7 telemetry-free is to install Windows 7 from an early-to-mid 2015 ISO and then permanently disable Windows Update. I have a June 2015 ISO of Windows 7 available for download in this post: Block Microsoft data-collection servers in your Windows hosts file For this, follow the same instructions mentioned in the Windows 10 section of this guide. Windows 7 / 8(.1): Guidance on avoiding telemetry-containing updates including a list of security-only updates with download links for each (updated February 2019): https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/2000003-ongoing-list-of-group-b-monthly-updates-for-win7-and-8-1/ Windows 7 / 8(.1): A thorough guide to identifying telemetry updates, removing the Windows telemetry service, and blocking Microsoft's telemetry servers https://www.ghacks.net/2017/02/11/blocking-telemetry-in-windows-7-and-8-1/ Aegis script: Disables, uninstalls, and blocks a bunch of Windows 7 / 8 telemetry & data-collection updates Since around mid-2015 (and possibly a bit earlier), Microsoft has been back-adding telemetry harvesting into Windows 7 and 8(.1) through the updates that are installed by Windows Update. These updates are not required, and can be declined from installing and also will not be downloaded and installed if Windows Update is disabled. But, if a person has automatic updates enabled these updates will be automatically installed. If a person doesn't want these to be installed, they can be quickly uninstalled and blocked from being re-downloaded and installed by running a script that knows which updates to permanently block from being searched-for by Windows Update, and from being downloaded and installed. Aegis Script is one such script, though it was last updated May 18, 2016. The Aegis script will also remove and block any prompts in Windows 7 and 8 about downloading and installing Windows 10. Original script link, and discussion: Script for Win 7/8 to block all telemetry updates and Windows 10 upgrade components Direct-download backup link for Aegis v1.18: https://mega.nz/#!dhExAbBa!fehYhbTNz5dIBh72psfXLfwv9wMk0uhMpGli-c0pBn4 For a list of the Windows 7 and 8(.1) updates that the Aegis script addresses, and also of the post Aegis scrip Windows updates to avoid because they have telemetry in them, see the bottom of this post. For identifying data-collection-containing updates since 2016, here is an updated list of which updates to avoid or uninstall: https://pastebin.com/jWX2zHdr ------------------------------------------------ Overview of what the Aegis script does Direct-download backup link for Aegis v1.18: https://mega.nz/#!dhExAbBa!fehYhbTNz5dIBh72psfXLfwv9wMk0uhMpGli-c0pBn4 (This information was retrieved from an archived version of the voat.co page discussing Aegis, via http://pastebin.com/1Xb2h39Z, and was last updated March 27, 2016, and so will not mention any changes to the script after that time) Description: Blocks 201 bad hosts, change windows update to check/notify (do not download/install), disable automatic delivery of internet explorer via windows update, disable ceip/gwx/skydrive(aka onedrive)/spynet/telemetry/wifisense, disable remote registry, disable 31 scheduled tasks, disable windows 10 download directory, remove diagtrack, sync time to ntp.org, hide/uninstall 50 kb updates (see below). Directions: Download, unzip, disable anti-virus, right click on aegis.cmd, click "run as administrator", follow on-screen instructions. Note: If unable to uninstall some kb's this post may help. Internet Explorer: Some updates which may contain critical security patches for ie, as well as automated delivery of ie and related updates, will be blocked. Due to the obvious security risk posed by running an unpatched browser we strongly advise to uninstall ie. If you plan to continue to use ie you should probably not run this script - or manually patch and do so at your own risk. Liability: All code except sed and setacl is provided as open source so you can look and see for yourself what it does. It has been thoroughly tested on my own systems and scanned with VirusTotal, and to the best of my knowledge it does not contain any harmful or malicious elements. However I assume no liability for any problems so use it at your own risk. License: There is no official license - you are welcome to modify and share my code and you do not have to give me credit. I do appreciate any feedback and I will give you credit if I use your ideas. This script is the product of a collaborative effort and does not belong to any one person. Windows Update: This script will not block Windows Update however it will change your Windows Update settings to 'check/notify but do not download/install'. If you have problems getting Windows Update to work properly after running the script you may need to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter or the System Update Readiness Tool. If you have recently installed updates and have not yet rebooted you should reboot before running the script. If you are on a fresh install you may want to install all updates before running Aegis for the first time, otherwise it may take a long time to update. Here is a possibly-incomplete listing of updates that Aegis removes and blocks, using the format: kb update ID update description kb971033 update for windows activation technologies kb2882822 update for adding itracerelogger interface support kb2902907 description not available, update was pulled by microsoft kb2922324 description not available, update was pulled by microsoft kb2952664 update for upgrading windows 7 Ugh, screw this. [kb2976978](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2976978) | update for windows 8.1 and windows 8 [kb2977759](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2977759) | update for windows 7 rtm [kb2990214](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2990214) | update that enables you to upgrade from windows 7 to a later version of windows [kb3012973](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3012973) | upgrade to windows 10 [kb3014460](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3014460) | update for windows insider preview / upgrade to windows 10 [kb3015249](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3015249) | update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 [kb3021917](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3021917) | update for windows 7 sp1 for performance improvements [kb3022345](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3022345) | update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry [kb3035583](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3035583) | update installs get windows 10 app in windows 8.1 and windows 7 sp1 [kb3042058](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3042058) | update for cipher suite priority order (contains winlogon spying elements) [kb3044374](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3044374) | update that enables you to upgrade from windows 8.1 to windows 10 [kb3046480](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3046480) | update for migrating .net when upgrading to later version of windows [kb3058168](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3058168) | activate windows 10 from windows 8 or windows 8.1, and windows server 2012 or windows server 2012 r2 kms hosts [kb3064683](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3064683) | update for windows 8.1 oobe modifications to reserve windows 10 [kb3065987](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3065987) | update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 july 2015 [kb3065988](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3065988) | update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 july 2015 [kb3068708](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3068708) | update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry [kb3072318](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3072318) | update for windows 8.1 oobe modifications to reserve windows 10 [kb3074677](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3074677) | compatibility update for upgrading to windows 10 [kb3075249](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3075249) | update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in windows 8.1 and windows 7 [kb3075851](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3075851) | update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 august 2015 [kb3075853](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3075853) | update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 august 2015 [kb3080149](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080149) | update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry [kb3081437](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3081437) | august 18, 2015, compatibility update for upgrading to windows 10 [kb3081454](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3081454) | september 8, 2015, compatibility update for upgrading to windows 10 [kb3081954](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3081954) | update for work folders improvements in windows 7 sp1 (contains telemetry elements) [kb3083324](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3083324) | update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 september 2015 [kb3083325](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3083325) | update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 september 2015 [kb3083710](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3083710) | update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 october 2015 [kb3083711](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3083711) | update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 october 2015 [kb3086255](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3086255) | september 8, 2015, security update for the graphics component in windows (breaks safedisc) [kb3088195](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3088195) | october 13, 2015, security update for windows kernel (reported to contain a keylogger) [kb3090045](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3090045) | windows update for reserved devices in windows 8.1 or windows 7 sp1 (windows 10 upgrade elements) [kb3093983](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3093983) | security update for internet explorer: october 13, 2015 (ie spying elements) [kb3102810](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3102810) | windows 10 upgrade elements [kb3102812](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3102812) | windows 10 upgrade elements [kb3112343](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3112343) | update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 december 2015 [kb3112336](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3112336) | update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 december 2015 [kb3123862](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3123862) | updated capabilities to upgrade windows 8.1 and windows 7 [kb3135445](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3135445) | windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2: february 2016 [kb3135449](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3135449) | windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2: february 2016 [kb3138612](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3138612) | windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2: march 2016 [kb3138615](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3138615) | windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2: march 2016 [kb3139929](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3139929) | security update for internet explorer: march 8, 2016 [kb3146449](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3146449) | updated internet explorer 11 capabilities to upgrade windows 8.1 and windows 7 Updates including post-Aegis that contain telemetry, updated to June 2018: Windows 7/8/8.1 Updates to avoid as of the June 2018 "Patch Tuesday": KB971033, Activation exploits KB2876229, Skype KB2882822, replaced by KB3068708 KB2952664, telemetry crap KB2970228, new Russian ruble symbol, breaks fonts KB2976978, Windows 10 update crap for Win8 KB2977759, telemetry crap KB2982791, Causes crashes KB2990214, telemetry crap KB3004394, faulty update KB3018238, only applies to Windows Server 2008 KB3021917, telemetry crap KB3022345, telemetry crap KB3035583, telemetry crap KB3050265, telemetry crap KB3065987, telemetry crap KB3068708, telemetry crap KB3075249, telemetry crap KB3075851, telemetry crap KB3080149, telemetry crap KB3081954, telemetry crap KB3083324, telemetry crap KB3083710, telemetry crap KB3097877, Casuses crashes KB3102810, telemetry crap KB3107998, Lenovo fix to remove blocker KB3112336, More WIN10 crap KB3112343, More WIN10 crap + MS monitoring of win10 upgrade KB3121255, crash during backup of PI Data server fails KB3123862, Windows 10 update crap KB3125574, Apr 2016 rollup with bad ones in it KB3133977, BitLocker can't encrypt the drive and the service crashes KB3135445, WIN7 update client to force WIN10 KB3137061, Azure virtual machines network outage data corruption KB3138901, No Internet multiple users log on Remote Desktop Services KB3139923, MSI repair doesn't work after you install updates KB3147071, Connection to Oracle database fails. Causes browser lockups? KB3150513, telemetry crap other: KB3184143 removes the Get Windows 10 app KB3172605 July 2016 update rollup (re-released Sep 13 2016) KB3179573 August 2016 Rollup

Article is short and descriptive, so leave source link at the beginning. https://www.gizchina.com/2023/01/25/russian-game-atomic-heart-can-provide-collected-user-data-with-fsb/ Summary "privacy policy of the studio allows it to collect user data. Then, it can be transferred to FSB. By the way, the privacy policy is Russian. There is no English version of it." Source: 1) https://www.gizchina.com/2023/01/25/russian-game-atomic-heart-can-provide-collected-user-data-with-fsb/ 2) https://ain.ua/2023/01/25/rosijski-rozrobnyky-atomic-heart-na-svoyemu-sajti-zbyrayut-dani-gejmeriv-dlya-fsb/

As data privacy is a common concern on the web (and where I work) I became a bit paranoid and started to remove things from Google, Onedrive, Dropbox and co. Now I’m considering setting up a Nextcloud server to hold files, contacts and calendar all from one place. But I thought one thing : I don’t really know what those companies are collecting, and how they are making money with it. I think I’m not the only one, but people on a tech forum like LTT will have more answers than common, non IT folks. I’m also using Gmail (for like 20% of my emails), Windows 10, macOS El Capitan and soon will have an Android smartphone, and some of this things are great for my use, if not mandatory. But data collection is important for those devices/services and I can’t always disable it, so I guess I’m better understanding why it’s present in the first place. I'm on Facebook but I'm careful about it and actually see the ads this time. So, why is our data so important that Google, Microsoft, Apple and other tech giants make good products for free, but rigged with data collection method ? How does it justify making entire free OSs (or giving away W10 upgrade for free) or providing massive amount of free storage/complex services? What data are they collecting? how are they converting that into money? Is it just about ads? cause like most people I don’t see them with adblockers. I made a quick list of what I use or could use that is free, where I’m the product apparently : - Google/Apple/Microsoft web services (including my own paid Office 365 subscription, with 1TB Onedrive :O) - iOS/Android/Windows phones (I don’t own a recent smartphone, but I will in the next years) - Mac OS, Windows 10, Chrome OS - Cloud storage providers (ok they have paid account, but the majority of people are on free accounts) - Social things like Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram (I don’t use them so maybe there is massive amounts of ads, I don’t know) - Services like Evernote (using), Siri/Cortana, password sync, communication, email - Basically anything that uses server time, sortage or has massive costs of development and is provided for free against access to your data.

Hey everyone, I am doing a project for school where I have to collect data from a group of people and make data tables out of it. I have a quick Google Forms survey and I would really appreciate it if you would take it and help me out with my project. Thanks in advance! https://goo.gl/forms/9qXYW5rGWQdeLuda2

Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/avast-antivirus-user-browsing-data-sold https://nypost.com/2020/01/28/popular-antivirus-tracked-users-porn-browsing-habits-report/amp/ Avast was collecting what it’s users are searching up on Google, Google Maps, LinkedIn, etc. most important! They were collecting data on what type of porn you watch from websites like YouPorn and PornHub. just great... and selling it to other companies like Microsoft, Google, Pepsi, etc.

A few days ago, January 22, Cities Skylines received an update which sparked a major fan revolt. It goes beyond just gamers being angry, the publisher may have violated the EU's GDPR and based on evidence I've seen they are also violating Steam's TOS by manipulating the game's review score. Let me give you some background so you'll understand what the hubbub is all about. As you know, Cities Skylines took the mantle of premier city builder in the wake of the Sim City debacle. The issues with Sim City is that it had to be always online, you had to sign in to play the game. EA would later fix this, sort of, but the damage had already been done. Cities Skylines was announced at Gamescom 2014 and rest was history, until now. Many people who play Cities Skylines today and who maintain the game's many and often essential mods were all Sim City refugees, so what's happened with the game recently now feels like a major betrayal of trust. How the publisher has responded to the fan backlash makes the situation much worse. On the 22nd, Cities Skylines received an update which added a Paradox Interactive launcher. When you launch the game there is no indication that the EULA for the game has changed and there are no warning dialog boxes. Due to how the game works, Cities Skylines can sometimes take 10 minutes to launch even on an M.2 NVMe SSD if several DLC and mods are installed. The launcher adds up to an additional 10 minutes to the launch time. The launcher requires a sign in to play the game. Many players have experienced a drop in CPU performance with the launcher running and others have reported the it is also eating up system memory. Other more technically minded players have found that the launcher is dialing home and send telemetry data some remote server which may include personal information (this requires deeper investigation). The launcher has rendered the native Mac and Linux versions of the game unplayable, and it was installed outside of the Steam game directory under the USER DATA area instead. All of this without any warning or fanfare other than a post in the Steam community forums that says "We're doing this, don't riot". Some antivirus programs detect the Paradox launcher as malware. Where do things stand now? Paradox has only recently responded to the controversy and they haven't taken it very well. To add insult to injury, the game and all of its DLC was put on a steep sale. It doesn't end there, one employee called fans "SJWs who hate change" on the Steam forums. The post has since been deleted, but the Streisand Effect is alive and well. Hundreds of fans of the game have been uninstalling Cities Skylines and changed their reviews on Steam to "not recommended". This influx of negative reviews changed the game's review score from "Mostly Positive" to "Mixed". There has now been an influx of reviews with thumbs up recommendations made by Steam users with simple throwaway account names and the texts are between one to three words each. There is even one review that is just the letter "h" and that's it. All of these positive reviews came in the same day and the users have barely any playtime accumulated. So many of these strange reviews have come in that it has shifted the game's review score back to "Mostly Positive". This is clearly review tampering and a major breach of Steam's TOS which is punishable with exile from the platform. These suspect reviews have been reported to Steam in mass. That is where things stand. The fans are waving their torches and pitchforks and Paradox is acting like a thin-skinned asset flipper. They may have done some things that violate both the GDPR and (potentially) COPPA, and may have certainly committed a bannable offense on Steam. Does anyone have any marshmallows I can roast over this dumpster fire?

1) In performance monitoring, what is the difference between User defined and system data collection sets? 2) What is the difference in data that am I going to get between a user defined collection and a system collection? 3) In the case of one system having multiple users, am I only capturing data from just that user in a user defined collection versus the whole system in a system collection?

California approves privacy rules opposed by ISPs and tech companies This is a fantastic development for individuals and privacy advocates. It means that we will have much greater insight into who is doing what with our data, because companies will have to reveal all that information to Californians, making it public for everybody. Also, for those who can't stand the obscene amounts of personal data that Microsoft harvests through Windows 10 even at the most minimal settings, I think this new regulation should mean there will have to be a way for (at least Californian) Windows owners to completely disable all non-security data collection. This gives you some insight into who are selling your personal data for profit. The solution is to apply these regulations ubiquitously to other states and countries. And that's the direction I expect things to head. Sweeping California consumer privacy bill approved by Jerry Brown "I feel like it's the first step, and the country's going to follow," Mactaggart said. "Everybody is finally waking up to the importance of digital privacy." "The bill also allows individual consumers to sue companies for up to $750 if there is an unauthorized breach of their non-encrypted personal information, despite being written with broader language to give tech companies more legal cover. While consumers can sue for security breaches, the attorney general can levy fines." And here is live video footage from around the galaxy right now: I previously posted about this initiative in this thread, and gave examples of which people will likely find the matter relevant and important to them:

I was thinking about getting the new Oneplus 5T, but this article (and others) are now leaving me on the fence. Apparently, Oneplus gathers data on you phone usage, some of which can be disabled in the advanced settings, others cannot. The real issue is the lack of anonymity while doing this. Hacker News claims to have a work around to disable data transmission. Oneplus also claims they will alter their data collection upon the public being aware of this. What I want to know is will this work? I don't have a Oneplus device to try this out on. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15441430 https://www.tomsguide.com/us/oneplus-data-leak-fix,news-25968.html

Disable, Uninstall, and Block, Windows 7 / 8 Telemetry, and Remove Windows 10 Notifications A series of updates that came through Windows Update for Windows 7 and 8 arrived in August 2015, adding Microsoft's telemetry to Windows 7 and 8. These updates were not required, and could be declined from installing, but if a person had automatic updates enabled, these updates were automatically installed. If a person doesn't want these to be installed, they can be quickly uninstalled, and blocked from being re-downloaded and installed by running the script that is available for download on this page: Script for Win 7/8 to block all telemetry updates and Windows 10 upgrade components The direct download link for the script package, also listed in the given link is here. This script package is also good for anyone who doesn't want Windows 7 or 8 to download Windows 10, or to keep bugging them about the Windows 10 upgrade, as the download includes a script that will stop Windows 7 and 8 from notifying a PC about the Windows 10 update. Essentially, running these scripts will result in a PC behaving as if Windows 10 had never come along: The telemetry updates won't be searched for by Windows update, and there will be no more notifications regarding Windows 10. Disable Windows 10 Telemetry Disable Windows 10 telemetry and data collection by following the guide here: How to disable Telemetry and Data Collection in Windows 10 There is one part of the guide which is no longer accurate, which is the part where it says: Since the Windows 10 version 1151 update, "Diagnostics Tracking Service" has been changed to "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service". So a person will have to follow the same given instructions regarding "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service" instead of "Diagnostics Tracking Service". If you are aware of updated information regarding telemetry and data collection in Windows 7 / 8 / 10, or know improved methods to disable it, please share it.

This is actually a little bit of work, so I imagine some "easy to use" program exists that does this, but this is how you do it with Performance Monitor in Windows 10. We will be using "monitoring RAM for 1 day" as an example, but this can be used to monitor basically anything. This will store the data as a log that you can graph or read later. Press Windows Key + R Type "perfmon" and hit enter. Expand Data Collector Sets. Right Click User Defined > New > Data Collector Set. Name the Data Set (in our case, RAM 1 Day) and check Create manually. Check Performance Counter. Click Add... > Go to and select Memory (no need to expand it) > Click "Add >>" > Click OK. Change Sample Interval to your preference (I recommend 60 seconds). Note that the smaller the interval, the larger the log file will be. A 2 second interval will be twice the log size of a 1 second interval. But storage is cheap, so if you store the log file on a large drive, go for 1 second. Choose the path where you would like to save the Logs (along with the name of the folder they will be in). Select Open properties for this data collector set > Click Finish. Click Add by Keywords > Type Memory (this is just for record keeping & searching, not necessary at all). Go to Stop Condition > Check Overall Duration > Change to 1 Day > Check Restart the data collector set at limits under Limits > Check Duration and set for 1 Day. (This is what will have it make separate reports for each day) > Click Apply. Right Click RAM 1 Day under User Defined under Data Collector Sets > Click Start. Once a day has passed, this is how you see the Report. Go to Performance Monitor. Expand Reports > User Defined > RAM 1 Day then click the report (usually named your PC's name + the date + the log number). The window should fill with a graph showing everything. Uncheck everything you don't want to see by: Highlight all things you don't want to see > Right Click > Hide Selected Counters. When reading the graph, note the scale. For example, if I have Available MBytes showing, and it's scale is 0.01, and it's at 62 on the graph, I should multiply 62 by 100 (because 100 * 0.01 = 1), so I have 6,200 available Megabytes. This allows multiple things that are orders of magnitude separate to be counted and shown on the same graph. If you want to see a Report before the day is over, Right Click the Data Collector Set and click Stop. Wait a moment, then go view the report. Example: Alternatively, if you just want a generic "System Performance" log that covers everything from CPU to Network packets to RAM to Storage performance etc etc, there's a template under Data Collector Sets > System > System Performance that you can just hit "Right Click > Start" then check later. Just be sure to change the duration in it's Properties as the default is 1 minute. This gives a nice HTML-y looking view in the window with tables and stuff. You can even save the report as a .html file and view it in a browser. Very cool. Examples: You can even modify the logs to be written in Binary, SQL, CSV file, or Tab Separated file.