Next week Microsoft will begin the slowish rollout of its big update to Windows 10, the Creators Update.
Right now, it's doing a little damage control, and preempting complaints about privacy, by listing the types of information its operating system will automatically and silently leak from PCs, slabs, and laptops back to Redmond.
When Windows 10 came out, Reg readers were alarmed by the volume of information the software was collecting and sending back to base. Ever since then, Microsoft has been fighting a PR battle to reassure people that such data slurping isn't all bad – it's "just" telemetry and diagnostics and potentially your files.
Now Redmond's had a little rethink for the Creators Update, and decided to come clean on exactly what the software will phone home – even insisting the closed-source operating system will scoop up less surveillance this time.
What makes you think it's your data?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 08 2017, @05:59AM (5 children)
Wait, are you saying it is Red Flag Windows? I always thought it was Red Flag Linux, the Chinese Linux distro. OMG! Trump elected, the whole Russian thing is a distraction: China has bought Microsoft!!!!!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 08 2017, @06:42AM (4 children)
Why do you think China needed a custom respin of Windows 10?
They needed it configured to send the hoovered data to themselves instead of the NSA for domestic editions of Windows. Coincindentally, we're talking both the vacuum cleaner company and 'J. Edgar' when we discuss hoovering here.
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Saturday April 08 2017, @06:50AM (2 children)
Doesn't their great firewall of China do this anyway?
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Saturday April 08 2017, @01:30PM (1 child)
The firewall only captures data sent to and from the computer. Win10 captures EVERYTHING!
(Score: 4, Informative) by kaszz on Saturday April 08 2017, @03:57PM
Kind of true. It will probe your WiFi, even when asked to not.
(Score: 1) by butthurt on Sunday April 09 2017, @05:57AM
"Oh and Mr. Hoover, before you go, I must tell you [...]"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw1QDE-WA4A [youtube.com]