Privacy: Windows 10 vs Local Files

Their Privacy Statement is here: https://privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement

Much of the data collected is optional, you can turn most off to send little more than crash reports (which MS use to improve windows).

See this tutorial (which applies if you have an MS account) and all the tutorials in the 'related tutorials' section at the end (which apply to local accounts as well as MS accounts).

Use Microsoft Privacy Dashboard to Manage Your Privacy in Windows 10

Hoffl said:

My question is: is Microsoft uploading my local files to their server, scouring them, or reading their contents in any way? Are any of my files actually "private" anymore? Or does MS know every thought, and every log-in, as I type it?

10 actually logs everything you type and say, in order to improve user's experience, they say.

Any of your files can be uploaded simply by Windows Defender or by smartscreen or any AV. That is how Kaspersky got banned in US, because its AV uploaded malicious files made by NSA.

Hoffl said:

I would be using Win 10 without MS account, but still don't trust (based on their own EULA, and all the press), that they're not seeing my SSN, full name, address, income, etc from my personal financial statements, for example.
Or not uploading my private intellectual property ideas written in a Word document, for example.

Lets not kid ourself, this is "the future". Windows, any AV, some browsers and even your ISP gather and share your personal information. Like Google is able to see your credit card history, even if you do not have Google account.

Google Following Your Offline Credit Card Spending To Tell Advertisers If Their Ads Work – Consumerist

Hoffl said:

Simply put, I don't really feel a great trust towards MS anymore. Is there any proof that they do or do not access my local files?.

Quite the opposite, MS helped to arrest several people, after it reported their illegal files to the police, but it was mostly related to their files on onedrive account (not public), but that gives you an idea, what MS is doing. MS is obliged to report any illegal activity, privacy rules do not apply, not is US.


You can limit files sent by Windows Defender or disable cloud/smartscreen.

Enable Windows Defender Block at First Sight in Windows 10 Windows 10 Tutorials


You can use apps to setup privacy, but note, they might break some functionality, even Windows updates.

Comparison of Windows 10 Privacy tools - gHacks Tech News