Microsofts Ever Increasing Data Collection

davefaz said:

It's not a good idea to get me started on the subject of data collection.

I absolutely do not care what Microsoft thinks it needs or wants. I paid for my operating system and I do not expect it to spy on me, for whatever reason, unless I give them permission, and the fact that they don't ask for permission makes me very angry indeed. The problem is that you really don't have any choice in the matter other than not installing windows, which for most people is not a choice at all.
The simple fact is that 1984 has actually come true. The only real difference is that people allowed it to happen rather than being forced.
I am very concerned about the way companies just seem to think they have a right to know everything about you.
Secondly I absolute hate targetted advertising! I noticed this with games in particular on Steam. It keeps trying to sell me games based on the results of various algorithms. The problem I have with this is that it ONLY presents me with those games, so it is in effect guiding down a path of it's own choosing. Youtube does the same. You watch one video about this and that and it stereotypes you and presents you with only what it thinks you will like. And sometimes I find that disturbingly wrong. Watch a particular news channel and you are suddenly present with nothing but far right wing videos. Watch a video about space and you are suddenly find yourself wandering in to alien conspiracy theories. I really just wish they would offer the option to opt out of this force-feeding. I mean this is a cross between 1984 and The Minority Report. How much longer before computers decide you need to be monitored in case you are a terrorist? Well, actually, in some countries that's not that far away. Let's hope their algorithms are better than Amazons.

It is a breath of fresh air and a pleasure to discover there is actually people that can still use the brain, i found your post quite informative and interesting, thanks.

davefaz said:

It's not a good idea to get me started on the subject of data collection.

I absolutely do not care what Microsoft thinks it needs or wants. I paid for my operating system and I do not expect it to spy on me, for whatever reason, unless I give them permission, and the fact that they don't ask for permission makes me very angry indeed. The problem is that you really don't have any choice in the matter other than not installing windows, which for most people is not a choice at all.
The simple fact is that 1984 has actually come true. The only real difference is that people allowed it to happen rather than being forced.
I am very concerned about the way companies just seem to think they have a right to know everything about you.
Secondly I absolute hate targetted advertising! I noticed this with games in particular on Steam. It keeps trying to sell me games based on the results of various algorithms. The problem I have with this is that it ONLY presents me with those games, so it is in effect guiding down a path of it's own choosing. Youtube does the same. You watch one video about this and that and it stereotypes you and presents you with only what it thinks you will like. And sometimes I find that disturbingly wrong. Watch a particular news channel and you are suddenly present with nothing but far right wing videos. Watch a video about space and you are suddenly find yourself wandering in to alien conspiracy theories. I really just wish they would offer the option to opt out of this force-feeding. I mean this is a cross between 1984 and The Minority Report. How much longer before computers decide you need to be monitored in case you are a terrorist? Well, actually, in some countries that's not that far away. Let's hope their algorithms are better than Amazons.

Do some research on what the various intelligence agencies can gather from you. That should make you really really angry

cereberus said:

I assume you are being sarcastic, as I did not see one iota of factual information, and I had to prop my eyelids open with matches to get to the end of the rambling diatribe without falling asleep.

Hi Cereberus, I was surely a bit hyperbolic, to stress the concept that there are different opinions, but not sarcastic at all.

Have a good nap

CountMike said:

anybody using it had EULA to read

Oh come on, no-one reads EULA - be sensible! I'd probably fall asleep if I read one but in any case they (MS, Google, whatever) can and will do whatever they want.

I think privacy really is a valid concern (and why the OP was attacked for this idk) but it is terribly hard to deal with.

On my Android phone I only allow Signal through the firewall - nothing else at all. I usually use TOR for sites I don't want recorded. I usually encrypt my email. Is that enough? Almost certainly not but one can try.

Anyway I think @Brink answered the question in the second post.

The issue is not that Microsoft is collecting data; the issue is that no one really knows what kind of data is being collected. This is one of the downsides of Windows not being open source.