SoylentNews

juggs [soylentnews.org] writes:

If you have been refusing Microsoft's offer to upgrade your Windows 7 or 8* operating system to Windows 10 due to the much reported data and telemetry slurping it seems inclined to do, then it is time to be on your toes as to what updates you allow to be applied to your earlier version operating system.

Reported over at El Reg [theregister.co.uk] is that Microsoft are busy pushing similar functionality to those older operating systems by way of update. Apparently the updates in question can be rolled back if required.

They are however very determined in their function if allowed to be installed, going so far as to ignore such venerable solutions as additions to the hosts file which historically was one way to knobble such phone home behaviour.

Now Microsoft is revamping the user-tracking tools in Windows 7 and 8 to harvest more data, via some new patches.

All the updates can be removed post-installation – but all ensure the OS reports data to Microsoft even when asked not to, bypassing the hosts file and (hence) third-party privacy tools. This data can include how long you use apps, and which features you use the most, snapshots of memory to investigate crashes, and so on.

The updates are KB3068708 ("Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry" and mandatory) KB3075249 ("Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7") and KB3080149 (also an "Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry", both optional).

Original Submission