Windows 10 transfers all user data. Why does Windows collect so much data? Basic and complete data set
operating room Windows system 10 collects information about how users work on a computer. Handwriting samples and voice samples, location information, error reports, calendar contents - all this can be sent to Microsoft servers. This was done for one single purpose - improve system performance, make it more friendly and useful for a specific person.
However, many users are seriously worried about the fact that their personal information may be stored on some servers. Microsoft protection in theory can hack by hackers, access to confidential data may request intelligence services. If you don't want your OS to automatically send data to the server, you need to know how to disable snooping in Windows 10.
System installation
Most of the "spying" can be disabled directly during installation operating system(or updates from previous versions). During installation you will be prompted to increase your speed. On this page you need to open the “Settings” section and disable absolutely all options there.
Among these parameters will be determining location, sending voice and handwriting samples, data in calendar and contacts.
Perhaps in the future you will decide that one of them might be useful. You can always turn it back on in OS settings. If you have already installed Windows 10 without disabling anything, it’s okay. Everything is possible deactivate now, and at the same time delete all data stored on the server.
Voice assistant Cortana
Cortana is one of the brightest Windows differences 10 from previous versions. This is extremely useful program, which can greatly facilitate and speed up computer work.
And in order for Cortana to work as efficiently as possible, it must collect information about the user. If all this does not interest you, and you would like to disable statistics collection and spying, this can be easily done at any time:
After these steps the program Cortana will be disabled, and the typing log and all samples of your voice and handwriting will be cleared.
At the beginning of 2016, Cortana has not yet been implemented in the Russian language Windows versions 10. Therefore, even with the settings enabled, the data will not be sent anywhere.
Privacy Settings
After turning off Cortana, you can turn off other tracking options. To do this you need to do the following:
In the drop-down menu " Sending device data..."you need to select the item " Basic».
So in a simple way You can completely disable tracking and sending data to the Microsoft server.
Microsoft account and pre-installed apps
A single Microsoft account allows you to quickly log in to Windows 10 and various software from the developer. You don't have to enter your username and password V OneDrive, Skype, Word(if you are using cloud technologies) and so on. Besides, this service opens access to the official Windows App Store.
Cons of the service - again, sending some data to the developer's servers. If this is not desirable for you, it is recommended to use local account.
The same goes for various programs, which are installed along with the operating system. Web browser Edge, standard mail client Mail, search system Bing- all these programs send statistics about their work. It's better to use third party alternatives.
If Edge you found it convenient and would like to continue working with it, it is recommended to configure it optimally:
Disabling telemetry
Telemetry- this is an observation of installed programs, measuring the load on computer components and then sending statistics. To completely disable this type tracking, do the following:
After this, telemetry will be completely disabled. No information about your work personal computer will not be sent to Microsoft.
Programs
There are also special utilities, which allow you to make all the above-described settings in just a couple of clicks.
Privacy Protector
From paid software, this is the program. The downside to manual settings is that when you update Windows 10, disabled options may reconnect without you noticing. Privacy Protector will block such actions, saving all settings. Therefore, if you want to solve a problem once and then forget about it, then the program, in this case, is the best solution.
As another option, you can download free application from a popular IT site GitHub. To do this, go to the link https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking/releases/ and click on the DisableWinTracking.exe file.
The program does not require installation and is ready to use immediately after downloading.
Working with it is very simple - you mark everything you want to disable and click Go! . You can also use the utility to remove various pre-installed applications, which are not removed by normal methods, for example, GrooveMusic or Xbox.
Video on the topic
Typical software contains a huge number of settings and services that you can easily use. It's no longer a secret that... This process covers all areas of activity:
- Installing a new software.
- Licenses for working with applications.
- Queries in search engines.
- Search queries inside Windows 10.
- Preferences and desires in music and video.
Quite unpleasant news. The thing is that Windows 10 is very crude, which does not allow it to be sold to as many people as possible. To buy a product, you need a certain level of quality. Only high-quality improvements can bring it to this level. But a quick response about errors and shortcomings can only be obtained by monitoring the actions of users. So Windows 10 quietly collects data, simultaneously sending it to Microsoft. What remains ordinary people? Fight, fight and fight again. So let's talk about how.
We cut down
The point of disabling is to close special Windows services 10 who are engaged in this very process. Of course, the developers do not like such a shutdown, since this is not what such services were created for. It is known that in regular menu Windows 10 makes it almost impossible to disable the ubiquitous collection of user personal data. The interaction interface is confusing and may not be useful to the typical user. But you can always go the systemic route, get under the hood of Windows 10 and solve the problem once and for all. In order to stop the operating system from collecting data, you need to open the registry settings. Namely:
First, open the Run window in the Start menu and enter regedit into it.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection
And if such a section does not exist, then you need to create it immediately. Now you also need to create new parameter 32 bits called AllowTelemetry with the name DWORD, in which we put the value 0.
Now you need to disable some services from Windows 10. For these purposes, click on the Start button and click right click mouse over Explorer and select the Control menu.
If you double-click on this service, its management window will appear, in which you need to check the Disabled item.
It is also useful to disable the DataCollectionPublishingService.
Disabling this service is carried out using a similar method.
Next, you only need to restart the Windows 10 operating system, and data collection will be stopped forever. Certainly, Windows developers 10 are trying very hard to help us. But they also try to learn as much as possible about our needs in order to offer any goods and services as best as possible. Everyone decides for themselves whether they need it or not, but in most cases they prefer to disable data collection.
This practice has long been used by Apple and Google. It was they who introduced the fashion for surveillance thanks to their staggering profits. Naturally, if this helps to make good money, then hardware and software manufacturers will implement these technologies as long as it is possible. Thank God that it is possible to disable these operating system functions. Don’t get lost if at first glance it is not possible to solve the problem. The Internet is full of information about in various ways overcoming typical problems. You just need to not be lazy. For example, in order not to buy new computer, but use modern applications, quite simple. Such simple solution enough to save about 40 thousand rubles on new equipment. And most importantly, there are plenty of cunning moves, and they are all described in detail.
What kind of data is provided on the Internet requires another separate discussion. The network can not only provide useful information, but also to collect data on people’s behavior and preferences. So it’s better not to register your real data on electronic resources and in social networks. It could be age real name and surname, place of residence and completed educational establishments. Because you can easily become a puppet in someone else’s deft hands.
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01/12/2016 07/13/2018 by Mnogoto4ka
Researchers in the field information security We studied the latest OS very carefully Microsoft Windows 10 and were simply stunned by how much data the operating system collects about its users. Windows 10 reports much more personal user data to Microsoft than any version of Windows before it. Together with Windows release 10 Microsoft released new policy privacy policy, containing 45 pages of strong legal jargon, difficult to understand for the average user.
You can be outraged and indignant about this, but the License Agreement says in black and white that Windows 10 will have access to almost everything that users do on their devices, all collected data will be stored in the Microsoft cloud, where each user is assigned a separate identifier.
But it’s our own fault that we allow corporations to shamelessly rummage through our data: we gave all the permissions ourselves by clicking on the “Accept” button in user agreement, which has not been read (according to statistics, the average time that users spend reading license agreement, is about 6 seconds; less than 8% of users read the entire agreement). At the same time, the corporation behaves honestly: all types of data collected by Microsoft are publicly listed on the Microsoft Privacy Statement page.
So, what information does Windows 10 collect from users’ computers and how to disable surveillance in Windows 10? Let's look at this in detail.
What Windows 10 steals from your computer
All printed text
It doesn't matter what application you use. Keystrokes are intercepted at the operating system level, the data is collected in packets and sent once every 30 minutes to the following servers:
pre.footprintpredict.com
reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
For example, a user writes a letter using Gmail service running in Chrome or Firefox. But the text of the letter will still be intercepted at a low OS level and sent to Microsoft servers. For what?
Formal explanation from Microsoft: needed to improve the performance of the predictive input system (faster text typing).
Geolocation data
And names Wi-Fi networks nearby. They accumulate and are transmitted every 30 minutes. Allows you to track the user’s physical movements with an accuracy of several meters.
Microsoft's explanation: The data is needed for the Bing search engine to provide more relevant answers.
What does this mean for the user: Microsoft knows your home address (why it is needed, see point 5). If you have mobile device with Windows 10, Microsoft knows every place you go.
Recording from a microphone
The microphone in Windows 10 is always on. At first it was suggested that this was necessary for the Cortana service to work ( voice assistant), but a little later it became known that disabling Cortana does not solve the problem. User voice recordings can accumulate, some of them are sent to Microsoft servers.
Experts in computer security Warn: if you use encrypted means of communication (for example, use SIP telephony with traffic encryption), such unauthorized recording of sounds from a microphone may jeopardize your security. Using a reliable VoIP channel simultaneously with Windows 10 is a completely pointless exercise. It’s better to immediately go outside and shout.
Telemetry
A fantastic feature in its potential unsafety, which is not even hidden by the developer company.
Telemetry is the transmission of data to Microsoft about the state of your computer and your activity. Literally everything is collected: which programs are installed, which ones are running, the amount of occupied memory, application logs, fragments random access memory and so on. Considering that anything can be in the RAM - from data for official use to credit card numbers - such transfer to other people's servers is potential vulnerability. Although Microsoft claims that the data is securely encrypted, who can guarantee that the encryption will not be secretly cracked by attackers? After all, everyone knows that Microsoft has always had big problems with safety. More precisely, with a persistent inability to provide this security.
Telemetry data is transmitted to the following servers:
telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com
telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com
sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
Fight against piracy
Windows 10 browsing titles user files and checks against a constantly updated list of pirated news. If matches are found, user directory listings are sent to Microsoft. In fact, the computer denounces its own owner.
Let us remind you that data on anti-piracy Windows activity 10 have been known for a long time. But it was assumed that the emphasis would be on combating counterfeit games. It is now becoming clear that the main goal is to deprive users of the ability to download pirated copies of American films and TV series from torrents.
It should be especially noted that comparing data on the presence of unlicensed video on a user’s computer with collected geolocation data opens up an excellent opportunity for the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) to sue some American housewife for another couple of million dollars. Russian users, it seems there is nothing to be afraid of yet: the system only worked when American films were detected.
Portrait for memory
Some users noticed that after the first Windows activation 10 The web camera turns on for a short period. Research confirms this - 35 MB of data is transferred to Microsoft immediately after activating and turning on the built-in camera. Presumably, the data is tied to the user's Microsoft account.
In response to allegations of information collection, Microsoft provided the following comment:
Windows 10 lets users choose how their information is used so they get the most personalized experience possible. The new OS offers them several options for user data management settings, and the user can adjust them at any time.
What should the user do in such a situation? A significant portion of users will not do anything at all. The other part will try to minimize sending unwanted information from their computer. The third part will try to completely disable or remove from the system everything that seems theoretically dangerous. In this case, I suspect that after their actions, they will have their own Windows computer 7, which will work in Windows interface 10.
How to disable tracking in Windows 10
Disabling services that are responsible for collecting information must begin at the stage of installing the operating system.
Step 1. We configure Windows 10 settings ourselves during installation.
When the installer reaches this stage, select the “Settings” item.
The first screen will look like this:
Here, Microsoft is openly asking you to agree that it will collect as much personal information about you as it can. Of course, with good goals, like “personalization” and “improvement”.
The second screen looks like this:
Here are more “technical” settings that relate to the browser, as well as sending error messages. Special attention pay attention to themselves Wi-Fi settings that will allow your machine to automatically connect to wireless networks people from your contacts. This may look attractive - you came to a client’s office and “automatically” connected to his Wi-Fi network - but this is such a gross violation of security rules when using Wi-Fi, which is simply breathtaking.
By and large, you have no reason to leave anything enabled on these two screens. Especially if you look at them and say to yourself: “I don’t understand anything about this.” If you don't understand, turn it off, it won't get any worse.
Step 2. Do not create or use a Microsoft account.
When the installer reaches this step, select the “Skip this step” option. In the future, we will use only a local account.
The operating system installed in this way transfers minimal user data to Microsoft servers.
If the Windows 10 operating system has already been installed, then in this case you can minimize the set of information that is transmitted to Microsoft.
All express settings offered during installation can be disabled in the settings already installed Windows 10. But not only them - there are much more settings as such. There are exactly 12 screens of them! And if you're really paranoid, you'll have to go through all of them.
Step 3. Change privacy settings.
In this section, you need to go through all the subsections and turn off everything that we consider necessary. Go to “Settings”, then open the “Privacy” section and go to the first item “General”.
In this section, the first step is to disable the advertising identifier. Here you can also block the operation of the SmartScreen URL filter, which checks the reputation of web addresses, as well as the sending of handwriting samples that are supposed to be used for handwriting recognition. Maybe someone will find this dangerous from the point of view of confidentiality.
The advertising part of the operating system also includes monitoring the user's location, which can be used for targeted advertising and searching for nearby stores or cafes, but for some it looks suspicious. It can also be disabled in the “Privacy” tab in the “Location” section
In the Location History, click on the Clear button to clear the history on this device.
In the same “Confidentiality” tab, but in the “Speech” section handwriting and Text Input" you can disable the sending of speech samples to Microsoft that Cortana is supposed to use to recognize users' speech. As on other platforms, speech recognition in Windows 10 is a regular service that requires sending data to recognition servers.
Step 4. Change security settings.
However, windows defender is automatically turned off when installing any other antivirus product - this method of disabling the defender will be even more preferable, although the data collected by an alternative product will also end up in the corresponding research laboratories.
In the "Center" tab Windows updates» Click on “More options” and then on “Choose when and how to receive updates.” Here you can stop updating your computer from several places on the Internet. When this option is enabled, your computer will also participate in data exchange with other computers.
Microsoft uses a mechanism to update Windows that works like torrents using the P2P protocol. In this case, data is exchanged between computers on the network, thus ensuring more quick update system and its components.
Step 5. Disable Cortana and Internet search.
Probably one of the most interesting Windows features 10 is Cortana - Microsoft's answer to the projects Apple Siri And Google Now. Cortana is the "world's first" digital assistant that can help users with many tasks. The more she learns about you, the better she will understand you, and the more effectively she will be able to help you.
Actually, the assistant Russian version disabled, the operating system may still collect the information it needs, so it's worth checking the privacy settings associated with this component. However, its settings are located next to the smart search settings, which are found through the search field in the taskbar. You need to click on it, and in the window that opens, go to the tab with the gear (“Settings”). In the window that opens, you can turn off both Cortana and smart search, which sends a lot of information to search engine Microsoft.
Step 6. Disable telemetry.
We will perform this shutdown by entering directives into command line running with administrator rights. Let's use the keyboard shortcut Win + X or select the appropriate item in the Start menu. Enter the following commands one by one.
sc delete DiagTrack
sc delete dmwappushservice
echo “” > C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Diagnosis\ETLLogs\AutoLogger\AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection" /v AllowTelemetry /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Let us remind you that after entering each of them you must press the Enter key.
Step 7. Configure the Edge browser.
IN open browser go to the menu " Additional actions" - "Settings" - "View Extra options"and turn on the switch for sending HTTP headers "Do Not Track", which allow you to bypass surveillance by sites of user actions, and also turn off the switches "Display search suggestions as you type", "Use page prediction", "SmartScreen".
Step 8. Convert your Microsoft account to a local one.
By default, Microsoft tempts you to use account, launched on its servers. Like, this way you can ensure synchronization. This may be useful if you have a second computer running Windows control 8 or Windows 10, as well as a smartphone running Windows Phone. If there is nothing like that, then you have exactly zero point, zero tenths reasons to use Microsoft account. Simply because with him using Microsoft actively “sucks” from the machine, only it knows what your personal information is.
Therefore, go to the accounts section and create a local account that will not synchronize with Microsoft servers and will not collect your data for purposes unknown to us and you.
To do this, you need to go to “Settings”, the “Your Account” section and click on “Log in with a local account instead” and then log in according to the instructions.
If you still need to use some service, for example, to store documents, then you can at least refuse automatic synchronization data with Microsoft cloud. To do this, in the Settings > Accounts > Synchronization section, in the “How does synchronization work?” turn the switch to the “Off” position
After these changes, you will slightly reduce Microsoft's surveillance of your computer. Now significantly less data will be transferred from your computer to remote servers corporations.
The company has already added links to new features in the test version of Windows 10 Insider Preview build 17083 (Redstone 4), intended for members of the Windows Insider program.
Microsoft announced the introduction of a transparency policy regarding what is collected from devices Windows data. The release of the Diagnostic Data Viewer application allows users to view what diagnostic data is being sent to Microsoft servers.
As the developers note, they want to strengthen user trust and provide them with expanded control over data.
Our goal is to increase the transparency of the process of collecting and processing diagnostic data with Windows devices and give users greater control over this data. This is part of our policy to increase customer trust and loyalty in our products and services.
To access the new Diagnostic Data Viewer app, your PC must be running Windows 10 build 17083 or higher.
Click Windows combination+ I to launch the application Options, then go to the section Privacy > Diagnostics and reviews.
The main menu offers two new options:
- Delete diagnostic data(currently unavailable)
Diagnostic Data Viewer - Windows application, designed to view telemetry (diagnostic) data that Microsoft collects on the device and sends to its servers for subsequent analysis.
Note Note: Microsoft warns that enabling this feature may require up to 1 gigabyte of additional disk space.
The application displays a list of events on the left sidebar, and the data of the selected event in JSON format are displayed in the central part. Filtering options become available when you click on the menu icon. You can choose to display only basic diagnostic or event-specific data, such as browser history, app installation data, or service or product usage statistics.
The displayed data can be exported to a CSV file. You can also open the online privacy control panel or privacy settings on your local machine from the main menu.
Search is available to find specific data. The application returns event data that matches the specific request. Enter name, address Email, PC name, IP address and any other data that you suspect may be collected by Microsoft.
The user can select any event from the sidebar to directly access the corresponding data. The data set is quite extensive, especially if the system has selected the volume of transmitted data as “Full” rather than “Basic”
The report may include the following data:
- Software inventory data, such as a list of installed applications.
- Basic data such as operating system version, device ID, or diagnostic level.
- Performance data such as device health, reliability data, or file access data.
- Product usage statistics, such as usage of applications or services.
- Properties and capabilities of the device.
- Browsing data, such as sites visited on Microsoft Edge.
- Errors and error messages.
This data is of great interest from the point of view of analysis and troubleshooting. If you encounter errors in Windows, you can use the Diagnostic Data Viewer to find out detailed information about the error. On the other hand, similar information is available in the Event Viewer. The key here is to know where to look, in some cases it may be easier to use this application.
The data is presented in JSON format. This is the data that is sent to Microsoft servers, but navigating through an unformatted document can be difficult.
Although you receive a list of variables and data, how to properly interpret this data is not entirely clear. For example, what does "Gyroscope: 7", "epoch: "1102666", or "iKey:" mean?
In any case, creation of this instrument- this is a step in the right direction. Microsoft may improve the functionality of the application or publish detailed instructions before its official launch.
Found a typo? Press Ctrl + Enter
Microsoft has made telemetry in Windows 10 more transparent, after April update 2018. You can now view accurate diagnostic information, that your Windows computer sends to Microsoft. You can even remove it from Microsoft servers.
How to view diagnostic data
Windows 10 now lets you view detailed information about diagnostic and telemetry services sent to Microsoft, but you must enable data viewing before you can do so. It is disabled by default because it will require up to 1 GB of disk space to store data on a Windows computer.
To enable data viewing, go to section Options → Confidentiality → Diagnostics and reviews. Scroll down to section and flip the switch to the On position.
Click the button Diagnostic Data Viewer, which becomes available after activating the function, and you will be taken to the Microsoft store, where you should download and install the Diagnostic Data Viewer application.
After installing the application, you can either click the button Diagnostic Data Viewer again in the section Options → Confidentiality → Diagnostics and reviews to open it, or run Diagnostic Data Viewer via a shortcut in the Start menu.
Application Diagnostic Data Viewer provides a large number of diagnostic “events” in the left area. You can click an event to view its details, including full copy all information sent to Microsoft.
You can also use the search field in the application to search for data related to the application or something else.
You can export this data to a comma separated value (CSV) file by clicking the button Export events to csv file on the sidebar. It is possible that in the future there will be utilities that will allow you to analyze this data yourself.
How to Limit Diagnostic Data Collection in Windows
By Windows default 10 collects "full" diagnostic data and sends it to Microsoft. If you want Windows to collect less diagnostic data, you can go to Options → Confidentiality → Diagnostics and reviews and select Basic in the section Diagnostic data.
Windows will then send a minimal amount of diagnostic data to Microsoft. You can check this by opening Diagnostic Data Viewer and seeing how much less data is sent to Microsoft.
How to erase diagnostic data
Windows 10 now allows delete diagnostic data, collected on your PC from Microsoft servers. To do this, go to the section Options → Confidentiality → Diagnostics and reviews, scroll down to the section Delete diagnostic data and click the Remove button.
Privacy Dashboard
Microsoft is also offering a new privacy dashboard that shows all personal information associated with your account Microsoft entry, and allows you to delete it.
To use it, visit your dashboard and sign in with your Microsoft account. You can also follow the link Microsoft Account Portal In chapter Deleting diagnostic data.
You will see options to view and delete history Microsoft browser Edge, Bing search history, Cortana voice activity, location history, and media activity (what music you listen to and watch videos). There are also options for telemetry data, including application and service usage history and application performance data.
You can also download your data if you need your own copy for any reason.