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To the shock of no one, Windows 10 users who upgrade to the Anniversary Update (scheduled for release next week), will not be able to disable Cortana using the settings.
If you compare the start menu settings of Cortana of the current version of Windows (version 1511) with those of the Anniversary Update (version 1607) you will notice that Cortana's off switch is no longer available (thanks Ian Paul @PC World for spotting that)
Cortana, the digital assistant that Microsoft touts as one of the major features of Windows 10 supports interaction via touch, typing, ink and voice.
Microsoft integrated Cortana deeply with the native search functionality of Windows 10. While linked to search, Windows 10 users may turn off Cortana currently to use search without it. While you might have to turn off web searches on Windows 10 as well, doing so ensured that you got search functionality that matched those of previous versions of Windows.
Windows users who turned off Cortana had two main reasons for it: either they did not need Cortana functionality, or they did not want it because of privacy implications.
[...] It is still possible to turn off Cortana, but not by using the preferences. The policy to disable Cortana is still available and you may use it to turn off Cortana on the device.
Please note that the Group Policy Editor is only available in professional versions of Windows 10. Most notably, it is not available in Windows 10 Home.
The linked article goes into detail on how to disable Cortana using the Registry in Windows 10 Home, and Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Pro. However, Microsoft no longer makes disabling Cortana anywhere near as easy as it was.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday July 27 2016, @07:06PM
MS has nothing to lose anymore. Given that most of the major businesses in the world economy use MS OS/sofware MS practically has de facto control of the Western, and much of the Eastern economy. What would happen if MS simply said "No more security updates for you!" to some firm? What could anyone do about it? Force MS to provide updates? How? No mater what you can think of MS can block you somehow. Come to think of it isn't there a clause in the MS EULA that says MS can terminate the license at anytime? And then they could sue any firm that kept using Windows.
They are also such a huge company that they can hold off litigation and government regulatory actions for years. Just look at the legal action the USA took against them over Windows 98. Did anything change after MS was CONVICTED of abusing it's monopoly? No, because MS was able to drag it all out until someone more sympathetic to them got into power. And everything since then, what has come of it? Nothing.
I Expect MS to get much, much worse in the near future.
/mild rant
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."