Microsoft Brings Their Spying Features From Windows 10 to 7 & 8
Microsoft Brings Their Spying Features From Windows 10 to 7 & 8
Posted: 31 Aug 2015
So according to Forbes, Microsoft is bringing 4 updates to Windows 7 and Windows 8 that spy on you like in windows 10
Here's some details,
The four updates in question and the official Microsoft descriptions are:
KB3068708 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry – This update introduces the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service to existing devices. By applying this service, you can add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights. (Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)
KB3022345 (replaced by KB3068708) Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry – This update introduces the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service to in-market devices. By applying this service, you can add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet been upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights. (Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)
KB3075249 Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 – This update adds telemetry points to the User Account Control (UAC) feature to collect information on elevations that come from low integrity levels. (Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)
KB3080149 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry – This package updates the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service to existing devices. This service provides benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights. (Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)
Furthermore gHacks notes that "these four updates ignore existing user preferences stored in Windows 7 and Windows 8 (including any edits made to the Hosts file) and immediately starts exchanging user data with vortex-win.data.microsoft.com and settings-win.data.microsoft.com."
“These, and maybe others, appear to be hardcoded which means that the Hosts file is bypassed automatically”, gHacks explains.
to better serve the windows platform to bring updates and fixes to our machines... nothing to do with spying as it were... I said before if you don't want to be "spied upon" switch to a local user account.... turn Cortana off ... delete your search history from your Microsoft account page... uninstall bing toolbar if installed... don't use the continuum feature... or modern apps.... that way you'll be on a windows 7 style pc without the onedrive backup utility and all the other apps that require your Microsoft account........
in other words QUIT WHINING.... or would you like some Cheese with that Whine lol shaking head
Computer Type: Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number: HP Envy 17 J181NR OS: Windows 8.1 pro upgraded to Windows 10 pro CPU: Intel Core i7-4700MQ @ 2.40GHz 2.40GHz Motherboard: HP Memory: 16 GB Graphics Card: Intel/Nvidia Sound Card: IDT/Beats Audio Monitor(s) Displays: Generic Screen Resolution: 1600x900 Keyboard: HP Full Keyboard backlit Mouse: Synaptics Click Pad Hard Drives: Toshiba 1TB
WD 1TB
to better serve the windows platform to bring updates and fixes to our machines... nothing to do with spying as it were... I said before if you don't want to be "spied upon" switch to a local user account.... turn Cortana off ... delete your search history from your Microsoft account page... uninstall bing toolbar if installed... don't use the continuum feature... or modern apps.... that way you'll be on a windows 7 style pc without the onedrive backup utility and all the other apps that require your Microsoft account........
in other words QUIT WHINING.... or would you like some Cheese with that Whine lol shaking head
Lol, even with those disabled Microsoft can still get you automatically updated (label it as security bug fixes) and sneak in some tools that "tracks" you haha. And i am not whining ... i am just upset because now they are doing this with win 7... at least keep you tracking and other tools to win 10 why bringing it to win 7?
The problem with turning Cortana off, switching to a Local User Account and not using any Modern Apps is that you end up with more or less a Windows 7 operating system. That's why I've gone back, and am carefully reviewing any updates proposed by Microsoft before downloading and installing them. The GWX "Get Windows 10" pop up was particularly annoying and never should have been included.
I had that thought when Windows 8 came out. I looked into Ubuntu but truthfully its pants. There is no real software for it, just a few 'limited features' open-source apps. So how do we continue to do computer stuff without decent apps? We can't. So Linux is a bust. If Windows 10 was just as awful as W8 I was seriously considering dumping Windows completely and going Mac (god help me!). But Windows 10 is starting to shape up if only we can get the Microsoft nosy-beak nonsense under control. But can we trust them not to sneak and peek?
to better serve the windows platform to bring updates and fixes to our machines... nothing to do with spying as it were... I said before if you don't want to be "spied upon" switch to a local user account.... turn Cortana off ... delete your search history from your Microsoft account page... uninstall bing toolbar if installed... don't use the continuum feature... or modern apps.... that way you'll be on a windows 7 style pc without the onedrive backup utility and all the other apps that require your Microsoft account........
in other words QUIT WHINING.... or would you like some Cheese with that Whine lol shaking head
There's 3 levels under "Feedback and Diagnostics" in Windows 10. "Full" sends memory snapshots to MS which can obviously include personal information.
Now I dunno about you, but although lawyers wrote that MS "will discard personal information that happens to be in memory snapshots", I still don't trust the individuals who happen to be looking over that data.
It's nice that you trust a faceless corporation so much, though. Way I see it is that if it was merely for diagnostic purposes, then there's no need to have 3 levels.
Even Google Chrome Canary (their bleeding edge builds) have diagnostic telemetry off by default, but they encourage you to opt in obviously lol. Yet look at W10 Insider Builds forcing diagnostic telemetry to "full" with no opt out feature...I don't mind helping diagnose issues in a beta build, but FORCING it to maximum seems a bit shady, if even the demonspawn Google doesn't do that.
to better serve the windows platform to bring updates and fixes to our machines... nothing to do with spying as it were... I said before if you don't want to be "spied upon" switch to a local user account.... turn Cortana off ... delete your search history from your Microsoft account page... uninstall bing toolbar if installed... don't use the continuum feature... or modern apps.... that way you'll be on a windows 7 style pc without the onedrive backup utility and all the other apps that require your Microsoft account........
You DID notice that this post was NOT about Win10 - right? Most of the suggestions you made are irrelevant in Windows 7 & 8.
Sorry for the bad news. I think some of the linux distro might be doing the same thing.
If you are going to Linux don't use opensuse gnome. I think it could have a tracking but I am not sure. A similar privacy screen popped up when I was trying opensuse gnome. Opensuse kde or other opensuse desktops didn't pop up. Note there is an issue with opensuse mint, maybe they will have that issue fix with the next release(Leap). Also, I think opensuse is going to do the same thing Microsoft is doing with updates they call it a rolling release. I think the rolling release starts with their leap version 42.x
I am sure you can find other distro that won't do a rolling release or have privacy issue. I think that why Linux mint (Ubuntu based), Lubuntu, Xubuntu, all came about. They wanted more privacy then Ubuntu itself has.
Computer Type: PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number: Dell All in one Inspiron 2020 OS: W10 32 bit, XUbuntu 18.xx 64 bit CPU: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU G1620T @ 2.40GHz, 2400 Mhz Motherboard: Dell Memory: 4 GB Graphics Card: Intel HD Sound Card: High Definition Audio Device Monitor(s) Displays: Unknown Screen Resolution: W7=1280 x 720, Linux Mint Xfce=1360 x 768 Keyboard: USB Mouse: USB Hard Drives: 500 GB Internet Speed: Economy Browser: Main Browser Firefox Antivirus: MSE Other Info: I have done a clean install of Windows 7 using Dell re-installation disk (Dell sent me one). I also use Free Macrium reflect backup and restore.
Doesn't that make one think that just turning OFF auto updates is the way to go?
I had to do that years ago, when MS Updates were corrupting Windows XP machines, all over the place.
After taking many service calls to FIX what MS Updates corrupted, I started just turning it OFF. Now that's a mute point.
It's years later and I'm back to the same point.... Do I want to accept MS's crap or just put it all on ignore?
My PC runs just fine with what it already has....do I really want something new that might corrupt my PC or make it less safe?
Updates are so easy to just Shut OFF, why all the angst, over them causing problems?
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