Best ways to disable telemetry and data collection in Windows 7 / 8 / 10

[Delicieuxz]

To be clear, a person owns the instance of Windows that their license grants them to install, and that one instance is subject to personal property laws.

[ZetZet]

 

Why the fuck do you assume they look at everything you do? They can't do that. That's not at all what tools in the system do, no one has yet on this planet proven that they can collect everything you have on your computer or do so.

 

There is no fanboying, just the opinion that you can't trust anyone with your not at all personal data is making me sad, since you probably use gmail and other services.

[Delicieuxz]

That's a great description of yourself. I would put that on your profile "about me" page so others know to watch out for you, Mr. ImSafeBecauseIDontUseWindows

 

I do use Windows. That's one of the reasons why the subject of this thread is of interest to me.

 

You personally feel that governments or Microsoft will collect all data, which would be an excellent reason to use the methods I've listed in the OP, as they stop specific steams of data flow to these sources.

 

 

"all you're doing is spreading paranoia among inexperienced users"

"you know your ISP collects everything even if you dont use windows 10, right?"

"the goverment is still getting what they want by other means such as ISPs"

"This is great that you get fooled into a false sense of security that "oh, linux and a vpn keeps me safe""

"Mr. ImSafeBecauseIDontUseWindows"

 

Man, you clearly don't think about what you write. Nobody has expressed more paranoia in this thread than you, and nobody is spreading it more than you are. The OP is straight-forward technical instruction. All the sentiments, which are where paranoia lies, are coming from you, and others who are also posting silly sentiments. You need to find a better hobby.

[vanished]

you know your ISP collects everything even if you dont use windows 10, right?

 

Just to clarify, are you saying they store everything, like a copy of every file transferred for example, or just the "metadata" like the IP address of where the data you use is coming from?

[Enderman]

Just to clarify, are you saying they store everything, like a copy of every file transferred for example, or just the "metadata" like the IP address of where the data you use is coming from?

yes, anything that goes through the ISP gets stored (in most modern countries)

so even if youre not going to a website, youre sending a friend a file or something, that goes through the ISP to get to them

the ISP gets all the information contained within the network packets, such as time, date, content, destination, etc.

 

of course using an encrypted connection like a VPN or tor or whatever will make them get encrypted packets, but they still get the packets

 

all that data is just stored in massive data centeres and nobody looks at it unless the government asks for some information from a certain IP or address or something like that, then they get access to that stored data

 

as long as you "blend in with the crowd" of other millions of people there is no reason why the goverment would even care about your info

but the it still remains on the servers anyway 

[vanished]

yes, anything that goes through the ISP gets stored (in most modern countries)

so even if youre not going to a website, youre sending a friend a file or something, that goes through the ISP to get to them

the ISP gets all the information contained within the network packets, such as time, date, content, destination, etc.

 

of course using an encrypted connection like a VPN or tor or whatever will make them get encrypted packets, but they still get the packets

 

all that data is just stored in massive data centeres and nobody looks at it unless the government asks for some information from a certain IP or address or something like that, then they get access to that stored data

 

as long as you "blend in with the crowd" of other millions of people there is no reason why the goverment would even care about your info

but the it still remains on the servers anyway 

 

I figured they might be doing that (despite what I've read), since I can see that giving them and the government important evidence in the case of an investigation without prying too deep into what you're doing.  But, what about the data itself?  For example, if I view an image, do they just store the URL/IP it came from, when I did it, etc. or do they also store the file itself?

[Opask]

yes, anything that goes through the ISP gets stored (in most modern countries)

so even if youre not going to a website, youre sending a friend a file or something, that goes through the ISP to get to them

the ISP gets all the information contained within the network packets, such as time, date, content, destination, etc.

of course using an encrypted connection like a VPN or tor or whatever will make them get encrypted packets, but they still get the packets

all that data is just stored in massive data centeres and nobody looks at it unless the government asks for some information from a certain IP or address or something like that, then they get access to that stored data

as long as you "blend in with the crowd" of other millions of people there is no reason why the goverment would even care about your info

but the it still remains on the servers anyway

You're probably one of the most blind children I have found on this forum.

Open your eyes and learn something for a change...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_data_retention

Nice shitposting kiddo. You didn't even read the wikipedia page that you linked did you.

Here I will quote the part about the NSA for you:

The National Security Agency (NSA) commonly records Internet metadata for the whole planet for up to a year in its MARINA database

They just store metadata. Also I don't think you understand how encryption works do you? Without the encryption key its just a load of meaningless scrambled 1s and 0s. And with modern encryption there no way to ever figure out what the key is without the owner giving it to you.

And I'm not talking about tor either. Why you would trust something to hide you that was originally developed by the US military is beyond me.

[Enderman]

I figured they might be doing that (despite what I've read), since I can see that giving them and the government important evidence in the case of an investigation without prying too deep into what you're doing.  But, what about the data itself?  For example, if I view an image, do they just store the URL/IP it came from, when I did it, etc. or do they also store the file itself?

im not sure about that, they may have algorithms in place to replace the actual image with a direct link to a copy of the image stored on site

 

that would make the most sense because if the image gets removed they will still have it on their servers, but if multiple people access that image they can just link to where that image is on their servers instead of storing the image multiple times

 

stuff like this is data storage optimization and they most likely have a ton of extremely advanced stuff to minimize space usage while still keeping record of all the data

 

however in that link i posted earlier you can see certain countries only store this data for a limited period of time, to save space

[vanished]

im not sure about that, they may have algorithms in place to replace the actual image with a direct link to a copy of the image stored on site

 

that would make the most sense because if the image gets removed they will still have it on their servers, but if multiple people access that image they can just link to where that image is on their servers instead of storing the image multiple times

 

stuff like this is data storage optimization and they most likely have a ton of extremely advanced stuff to minimize space usage while still keeping record of all the data

 

however in that link i posted earlier you can see certain countries only store this data for a limited period of time, to save space

 

Yeah, I would imagine they would need every optimization and limitation (time, etc) they can get to not have their "logs" balloon totally out of control if they are in fact storing the transferred content as well.

[Delicieuxz]

You're probably one of the most blind children I have found on this forum.

Open your eyes and learn something for a change...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_data_retention

 

As Opask pointed out, your understanding of these issues is incomplete. So it isn't that people haven't learned these things, it's just that they understand them better than you do. Please stop acting paranoid and spreading paranoia in this thread, which isn't about how much a person should care about data collection, but about how to disable telemetry and data collection in Windows 7 / 8 / 10.

 

Your personal crusade here is without meaning, and clownish.

[Enderman]

Please stop acting paranoid and spreading paranoia in this thread

WOW! I wonder where you took that sentence from...

Maybe that post I said to you a few minutes ago...

You're so original!

 

Clearly you dont understand anything of what I'm saying due to your clouded vision.

Maybe you should try reading again, see if you can get some information into that neuron you've got.

My entire point is that people like YOU are being paranoid about windows 10, because the data collection literally DOES NOT MATTER.

 

it doesnt make a difference, so why are you even trying to stop something which can't be stopped? lol

 

you're basically trying to stop a machine from storing your 0s and 1s which nobody cares about

and since you cant stop it, because your ISP gets it anyway, you're just making people feel a false sense of security by "disabling spying in windows!!"

 

you clearly need to open your eyes and see the world you're living in

[Unhelpful]

 

I agree and disagree. My overall feelings on the topic are: Yes it's paranoid to do this... But I want as few people to have my personal data as possible. I can't really avoid having my ISP have my data... But I'd like to keep the list as short as possible.

 

I do literally nothing to block it though. Just playing devils advocate. 

[Enderman]

I agree and disagree. My overall feelings on the topic are: Yes it's paranoid to do this... But I would as few people to have my personal data as possible. I can't really avoid having my ISP have my data... But I'd like to keep the list as short as possible.

 

I do literally nothing to block it though. Just playing devils advocate. 

I actually dont see an issue with the data that microsoft collects

statistics and numbers will just help them improve the experience based on what i (and other peole) use a lot

 

for example, google takes info on all websites I (and you too) visit, this way the ads I get are actually relevant to me and sometimes actually interesting enough for me to click on

this information isnt being used against me in any way, it just improves the experience

and i also dont worry if I visit a "bad" website since the only thing looking at this kind of data is a machine, not a human

 

 

 

what the government and ISPs collect is far more sensitive data, since there is a lot more stuff that is private (which microsoft DOESNT collect) such as bank account information, contacts, phone numbers, etc...

sure its encrypted, but that doesnt matter because if the government wanted to, they have the resources to decrypt this stuff

 

Am I worried? No, they don't have time to decrypt information which is useless to them from random citizens

I am pretty much a nobody in a sea of millions, so its as if I didnt even exist to them

 

 

there is ONE thing which freaked people out about windows 10, which is the sentence in the terms in conditions which says they have access to everything on your PC

they clarified that this is just a safety measurement for legal issues

if the goverment wants access to a certain persons computer, then microsoft can give them access without being sued by you or the goverment

 

the thing is that this is a special case, they dont have people searching through your PC at all

they just give access to the government when requested to do so (just like what the ISPs do with your data traffic) if you're an illegal person or whatnot

no regular citizen will ever be searched

 

one parallel example is that the government can break into your house whenever they want, and you cant stop them

but do we worry about this every day and build a super secure bunker to try to keep police from breaking in? of course not, because there is no reason why they would need to break into your home unless youre doing illegal stuff

 

 

 

so TLDR there is no need to be concerned about any privacy issues with windows 10, since the ISP already violates far more privacy (and has been for years)

and we shouldnt worry about this unless youre doing illegal stuff which the goverment may want to stop

 

I dont do highly illegal stuff, so I don't worry every night about the military smashing into my house

[Unhelpful]

 

I don't have any issue with the info that they currently collect, I'm just afraid that they'll start sliding down that slippery slope and get to the point of blatant privacy invasion.

[Enderman]

I don't have any issue with the info that they currently collect, I'm just afraid that they'll start sliding down that slippery slope and get to the point of blatant privacy invasion.

privacy invasion would only be an issue if they redistribute that information in a way that directly negatively affects you

 

for example, government sees you liked FB post of opposing party, government sends a message to all your friends that you are unloyal and they should unfriend you

that would be a very extreme example

 

having data collected and put on a server to improve an experience isnt an issue

i would be much more concerned about what the goverment is doing with the data that the ISP collects than microsoft collecting the questions I ask cortana

but you know how the internet is, they get all worked up about one tiny thing and ignore the big picture of what's actually going on in the world

 

 

 

how many posts have you seen about "windows 10 spying" and "windows 10 is bad" and crap like that?

probably hundreds

 

then how many posts have you seen about the fact that telecommunications are being monitored and recorded for everything you do connected to the internet?

i have not seen a single one yet

[Unhelpful]

 

Again, I literally never claimed it's currently an issue, or that it's likely it will become one. I actually like telemetry data. I was just playing devil's advocate, and pointing out that it has the possibility (even if slight) to become an issue.

 

Even if Microshaft didn't do anything inherently wrong, if there was a security breach on their part and a monumental amount of user data was stolen.. That would be very not good.

[Enderman]

I was just playing devil's advocate

Yeah I know I was just adding to the points

 

A security breach would be bad, yes, but not as significant as if the government's security was breached, and all the sensitive information that your ISP collected was released

 

addresses, phone numbers, credit card info, all that is far more important than standard telemetry

 

 

either way, what I'm trying to do is get people aware of whats actually happening in the real world, outside of the "microsoft spying" circlejerk

People should not be paranoid about microsoft, or the government, or their ISPs

They should be aware, and they should use their efforts to worry about more important stuff which is far more likely to ever be an issue, such as getting your wallet stolen

[Unhelpful]

A security breach would be bad, yes, but not as significant as if the government's security was breached, and all the sensitive information that your ISP collected was released

Of course, but you don't want to create more potential points to exploit. You want to keep the number of disaster-level server farms fairly low.

[Enderman]

Of course, but you don't want to create more potential points to exploit. You want to keep the number of disaster-level server farms fairly low.

if that statistics data gets leaked is there going to be someone who cares about how many times a day I open microsoft word or go to linustechtips.com?

i dont think so...

[Unhelpful]

if that statistics data gets leaked is there going to be someone who cares about how many times a day I open microsoft word or go to linustechtips.com?

i dont think so...

True, but I was thinking more location data in Windows phone. IE your daily routine over many months that can be pieced together.

[Enderman]

True, but I was thinking more location data in Windows phone. IE your daily routine over many months that can be pieced together.

Oh yeah, location data, didnt think about that.

I guess if someone really hates you they can come to your house or something

Or swatting, if youre in the US

[Unhelpful]

Oh yeah, location data, didnt think about that.

I guess if someone really hates you they can come to your house or something

Or swatting, if youre in the US

Sadly that's spread to several countries :\ fuckin damnit

[Delicieuxz]

WOW! I wonder where you took that sentence from...

Maybe that post I said to you a few minutes ago...

You're so original!

 

Clearly you dont understand anything of what I'm saying due to your clouded vision.

Maybe you should try reading again, see if you can get some information into that neuron you've got.

My entire point is that people like YOU are being paranoid about windows 10, because the data collection literally DOES NOT MATTER.

 

it doesnt make a difference, so why are you even trying to stop something which can't be stopped? lol

 

you're basically trying to stop a machine from storing your 0s and 1s which nobody cares about

and since you cant stop it, because your ISP gets it anyway, you're just making people feel a false sense of security by "disabling spying in windows!!"

 

you clearly need to open your eyes and see the world you're living in

It's not for you to decide whether Windows 10's telemetry and data collection matters, and your understanding of data collection, encryption, and privacy is demonstrably such in this thread that your opinion is not suitable for advising others. All these issues matter, but it goes a long way to help a person discuss them if they actually have some understanding about them. Your perspective is immature, to put it politely, and as I pointed out, the only paranoia in this thread has come from you. You need to let that go.

 

sure its encrypted, but that doesnt matter because if the government wanted to, they have the resources to decrypt this stuff

Absurd. Court cases are lost because government can't access encrypted files. If encryption didn't work, it wouldn't be a business. If encryption didn't work, hackers would have everyone's data from online. The best encryption hacking doesn't happen by the government, but by individuals and groups who hack, among other things, governments. Meanwhile, the USA government can't crack a bitcoin wallet key, and has to rely on finding it written down somewhere.

 

And because you clearly don't understand what metadata is, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metadata

 

Having information which says "person went to the grocery store" is not the same as having the vehicle they went to the store in, the grocery list they took with them, the money that was used to buy the groceries, and the mood and intent of it all. Metadata doesn't mean that actual files are held, or that the same data is possessed, but that there is a log expressing the types of data transmissions have happened. And when data is encrypted, the record can only know that encrypted data transferred.

 

You have been completely without a clue regarding the things that you're talking about throughout this thread, and yet you go on.

 

People should not be paranoid about microsoft, or the government, or their ISPs

Either your point is that data is not collected, and therefore people have no cause to be concerned, or that data collection is being collected, and therefore people's concerns about its collection are completely valid. Your point seems to be that collection of all things occurs, and people should not worry about it. Which is mindless, illogical, and a serious failure of judgement. It's not for you or anybody else to tell people whether data collection or their privacy is of importance to them. Your understanding and presentation of yourself in this thread is the flailing about of an ignorant juvenile.