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Windows 11 and Windows 10 are full of microsoft adware trying to sell you products and services you do not want, I have made a batch script that fixes many of the issues you might be facing, https://github.com/H90HSORH0J30JHDSRH/Device-Cleanup-Script the scripts are open-source and feel free to redistibute, some of the ads that I am talking about are featured below.

UPDATE: After much ado about nothing, the mod is back on Nexus Mods with the telemetry removed. Popular Cyberpunk 2077 mod "Cyber Engine Tweaks" was pulled from Nexus Mods by the author after simple telemetry to track total concurrent users was added. This mod is the base toolset on which many [most] other mods are built upon, and with NexusMods being the place the majority of mods are hosted, this will require individuals to go to GitHub to grab the dependency manually rather than just clicking "install with vortex" (NexusMods official mod manager). A nexus moderator emailed the mod author (images were posted to discord) that: Also going on to say that the only acceptable exception to this rule was instances where internet connectivity was core to the functionality of the mod, and that telemetry did not satisfy the burden of "critical for the functioning of the mod". The moderator then goes on to express discontent that some content was removed from the description of the mod instead directing all users to an off-site wiki. no direct follow-up or response email was mentioned publicly. The mod author both on discord and in the issues section of the github page hosting the source code of the mod expressed his disagreement with the assertion of the nexus moderators. The author asserts "Nexus has policies that do not make sense in my opinion" regarding the telemetry as so extremely minimal as to be non-consequential "If just a ping triggers them so much...". The telemetry in question can be seen in a recent update to the code base, and consists of generating a random string each time the game is launched, and using popular command line utility "curl" to POST that string once a minute to "https://cet.tiltedphoques.com/announce". The code running on that server is also available on the mod author's github, and is extremely minimal as it tracks current number of active users and all-time peak concurrent users. After the initial email, the author removed the mod from the nexus, and several issues were quickly posted to the github from confused nexus users who had not been aware of the messages on discord. On these issues a nexus mods moderator showed up to answer confused users's question "why has the mod been removed from the website", and responded with the very terse reply: After further questions from confused users, the nexus mods moderator also asserted the decision was out of "stubbornness", citing a previous "skyrim together fiasco" associated with the author. At this point the mod author joins the discussion, and accuses the moderator of "antagonizing" him personally. Additional discussion makes it clear the mod author does not intend to update the mod to comply with the terms of service, or to re-release the mod on nexusmods at this time. My Thoughts The mod author seems to be offended that someone might consider the telemetry he included as invasive. For someone with a technical background in coding, it is clearly very minimal telemetry, and the value of good telemetry can be huge when developing a product. The question was even asked why he wanted the data so much, and the answer was basically: because I was curious. To some, this is simply not a good enough answer, and that's apparently also not a good enough answer for the TOS of Nexus. Offended at the idea that his idle curiosity of concurrent user count may be inappropriate to collect, he then proceeds to "punish" nexusmods by pulling his content off their platform "The policy won't change, I am not going to give nexus any right to decide what I can or cannot do with my work". While I disagree with how the moderator handled the situation with effectively name-calling, and going around to all the various online forums to pester this guy, I don't necessarily disagree with the "stubbornness" remark. Sources see the various links throughout the post, and attached images of the email conversation (from discord as well)

Wanting to update my goto solution of going into any random git repo an running the pswh script to turn all telemetry off. Has anyone a good reliable solution, source or repo to share ?

Hi all, hope everyone is safe and well on this hot and humid day in Japan. I've been thinking about this over the last few days as I was turning off cortana and telemetry/metrics in windows 10 on my work laptop and was wondering if and how much telemetry/metric gathering and cortana will be in windows 11 and will it be able to be disabled completely? Also what is the difference between a local account and logging into your Hotmail account? The get even more out of windows thing? Oh and edge, is it worth using? Cheers all

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

Hi everyone, What tools for controlling Windows 10 telemetry and updates do you know/use? Preferably up-to-date and with passive principle (setting/registry changer) and not as an active process in the background. There was such tool in one of ltt’s Windows10/11 videos “that worked very well” according to Linus but I can’t remember or find the name. I used so far the tool Blackbird, but it is outdated and quite aggressive.

looks like this is very old news? http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/nvidia_adds_telemetry_to_latest_drivers_heres_how_to_disable_it.html We all know nvidia is collecting user data if you install geforce experiance. well, now it's happening even if you don't install geforce experience, with the new driver it's enabled by default and it doesn't even notify the user of it. this is not the same as the whole geforce experience telemetry, this is an add on to the normal nvidia control panel that collects telemetry. there are ways to remove if you don't like it. No answer from nvidia about what is collected, because this is just a "small thing" because no big websites have written anything about it yet. these things would not be a problem if the user were notified and able to opt-out, before it was even installed on his/her computer. SOURCE

Hey all My sister was having bad performance on her laptop. She was running a normal hard drive, so I upgraded it to an ssd. Though the laptop kept running hot. So I decided to look at the task manager. Guess what? 40-60% CPU usage of Windows Compatibility telemetry, and this on a core i7 (2 core, 4 thread). I knew Windows telemetry was a huge issue for privacy, I didn't know it could be a bottleneck on performance... Microsoft is pushing malware-ish spying programs onto our PC's. Has anyone else had this issue and/or found a solution to this issue. I can't take Windows 10 anymore. If it continues this way, I will switch to Linux (or even OS X ).

Jerry Berg: Microsoft needs to add an 'off' option to telemetry for Windows 10 - Sign the Petition! https://www.change.org/p/jerry-berg-microsoft-needs-to-add-an-off-option-to-telemetry-for-windows-10?recruiter=708588710&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive via @Change Want to fight for your Privacy? Now is your chance! Help Us win the Privacy War against Microsoft!

Before watching the video or posting a reply; please dear readers, hear me out first. I'm posting this because I believe in choice, no matter what it is so please keep an open mind upon continuing. No matter how you personally feel about the uploader, their content, Microsoft or telemetry data. Sign the petition because Burger King was right, we should have it our way. https://www.change.org/p/jerry-berg-microsoft-needs-to-add-an-off-option-to-telemetry-for-windows-10

Hi. What would be the most stable driver for a GTX 770 on Windows 7 64x paired with an Intel Core i7 4790K? I only ask if someone out there knows this. I don't want to use the new 37X.XX drivers. The reason? The new telemetry. I can live with telemetry, but not telemetry that is "personally identifiable information"... I could start to rant about Nvidia, but I'll keep it to myself. It seems to me that the best of the newer ones is the 362.00. Yes, that would be newer for me since I haven't updated since 347.52. Yes that's quite old I know but it has just always worked for me. I can't really experiment with drivers right now, so if anydody could help it would be awesome! As far as I know, 368.69 is the last driver without telemetry, but it seems to have more problems than 362.00. 365.19 also seems pretty safe, but is it worth trying this one? And can someone confirmed that it is in fact the last driver without this "telemetry"? Thanks!

Not sure if this is old new but it is the first i have heard of it. http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/610583/can-fireeye-change-cyber-security-stakes-through-microsoft-partnership/ i know it is for security purposes. but how long until other get access by just waving enough money.

Hey all, I read online that you can disable Nvidia's telemetry functions by disabling certain autoruns within Windows. I was wondering if you can block them via their domain names instead. I have a PiHole that is capable of blocking things at the DNS level, including several pieces of telemetry such as Microsoft's telemetry for Windows 10. Since I have this higher level of blocking than disabling autoruns, I want to know if anyone has a domain list for me to add to my filter.

Browsing web in Chrome on my PC I noticed blinking Microsoft Edge icon on a task bar, when I opened the app it was opening new tab (I think every 15-30 secs) connecting to following address https://connect.facebook.net/log/fbevents_telemetry/. Closing the Edge didn't help, it opened again after probably a minute. Do you know what might that be? Some malware? Cambridge Analitica trying to break in? I'm kind of scared. Screenshot below, internet connection is ok, only during taking it I was rebooting router/modem.

Source: Ars Technica, Microsoft All that is nice and somehow catching up to Apple's approach of telemetry but unlike Apple's telemetry where you can turn it off, there's still no off button to Windows 10's telemetry. I wonder if this is a response from the Dutch DPA complaint about Microsoft's aggressive telemetry practices even in Basic settings or they are preparing Windows 10 to be more GDPR compliant for the EU which will soon take effect on May 25, 2018? But from the looks of it, it's a bit more refined than Apple's when it comes to viewing the actual telemetry data. Microsoft commented further in their blog saying: The thing is this should have existed in the first place way back in 2015 when Microsoft pushed Windows 10 to the public for free. They are simply doing it now because a lot of people and organizations have their eyes on Microsoft and they're not wrong. Would this mean Microsoft will sell an EU version of Windows 10 with more privacy in mind because they are caught red handed by the Dutch DPA? https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/news/dutch-dpa-microsoft-breaches-data-protection-law-windows-10

Twitter employees reveal in Veritas' undercover videos that Twitter uses both algorithm-based data detection and sorting, and also uses teams of people to sift through Twitter users' personal DMs, view their private sexual pictures, etc, to create a unique personal virtual profile of each Twitter user, that Twitter then sells to advertisers. https://www.projectveritas.com/2018/01/15/hidden-camera-hundreds-of-twitter-employees-paid-to-view-everything-you-post-online-including-private-sex-messages/ Twitter software engineer, Mihai Florea: Clay Haynes: The details provided in the video from Twitter employees also serve to give good warning and insight into what Microsoft does with the personal data it collects from Windows 10 owners. Just as the Dutch DPA investigation reported, all of the data that Microsoft collects through Windows 10 is personal, and none of it is anonymous, with all of it having multiple IDs to tie the data to the system, user, applications, device usage, location, Windows version, etc, that form a unique fingerprint for the person that the data came from. And that information is likewise used to create a virtual profile of each Windows 10 user, which is sold to advertisers, researchers, shared with government and law enforcement, etc And, of course, this is why Microsoft was offering a "free" update to Windows 10, why Microsoft left so many loopholes to continue accessing the "free" update to Windows 10 after the "free" period officially ended, and why Microsoft forced and tricked millions of people to get Windows 10 to install their PCs. The "free" offer was a sleight of hand move, not for Windows owners, but for Microsoft, who wants to be making as much perpetual data-based money as possible, from each person who hooks into Microsoft's massive data-theft farm. What is the point of rights to privacy rules in society, which corporations, and anything they choose to share your personal data with, for their personal profit, consider themselves exempt from, and behave outside of personal rights to privacy, and privacy rules and policies? Also, what do these people who look at personal information, whether at Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook, or Google, do, when they come across sensitive corporate information, or information or ideas that could make their own company a lot of money, if they were to pick them up? It's obviously possible, and maybe very likely, that they just then steal those ideas. Facebook at least tries to figure out new ideas based on user usage of their devices (as Microsoft, and other big-data companies no doubt also do): https://www.fastcompany.com/40451455/facebook-is-spying-on-your-phone-habits-to-figure-out-which-ideas-to-steal-next I figure that it must be a risk for any major company to use software by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, etc.

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.