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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Microsoft claims seven out of ten Windows 10 users are happy with Redmond gulping loads of telemetry from their computers – which isn't that astounding when you realize it's a default option.
In other words, 30 per cent of people have found the switch to turn it off, and the rest haven't, don't realize it's there, or are genuinely OK with the data collection.
Ever since Windows 10 was released, folks have been complaining the operating system is far too grabby and that it allows Redmond to collect huge volumes of intelligence on its users. In April the software giant responded by simplifying the collection.
There's basically two levels in Windows 10 from the Creators Update onwards: basic and full – the full setting includes everything in the basic level plus a load more. Full is the default for Win 10 Home and Pro, otherwise there's basic. Windows 10 Enterprise and Education have full and basic, plus an extra level called security, which transmits a little less about your system than basic.
Essentially, if you're on Home or Pro, you can't tell your OS to not phone home. And, sure, this information – from lists of hardware and apps installed to pen gestures – is useful to Microsoft employees debugging code that's running in the field. But we're all adults here, and some folks would like the option to not have any information leaving their systems.
"... and we welcome your feedback in helping us make [Creators] the best Windows ever," [Marissa] Rogers concluded.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Friday August 11 2017, @05:42AM (6 children)
We don't know the true "rebels" rate in the Windows case, as in order to even have the decision to rebel, you have to know about the telemetry stuff in order to even decide whether you want to switch it off, and you in addition have to know or at least consider it possible that you actually can switch it off.
So for all we know, it might be that 50% of all users don't even know that Microsoft spies on them (they just bought their computer at WalMart and switched it on; as long as they get to open their browser and connect to their favourite sites, they don't see any reason to learn anything more about their computer). A further 20% might know about the telemetry, but have no idea that you could switch it off; they just shrug it off as unavoidable. The remaining 30% switch it off.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday August 11 2017, @05:59AM (2 children)
Does it mean it can actually be switched off?
TFS led me to believe it can be only lowered dramatically but never actually switched of.
(note: I do use Win10 at the office and I don't care how the IT dept. configured telemetry on this one. Not like I'd be using it for things I want to keep private.
At home, I only use Linux).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 11 2017, @12:34PM
It can be ripped out. They won't have numbers from that.
(Score: 2) by Hyper on Friday August 11 2017, @02:48PM
It probably has your real name on it, unlike your home pc
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 11 2017, @05:32PM (2 children)
You ignored the people who use other versions of Windows, use other operating systems, or don't use computers at all. Maybe they don't want the telemetry, or maybe they have other reasons.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Friday August 11 2017, @05:44PM (1 child)
Those are obviously not in the sample which the percentage is based on.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 12 2017, @10:22PM
You had written "the Windows case" not "the Windows 10 case."