Windows 10

 Installs with all kinds of bullshit options on basically sharing every bit of your info. Make sure you view the settings/privacy options and turn off all that crap

Turning all this shit off won't completely prevent what your pc is sharing. Best  not to install this garbage software

Here's a perfect example of the bullshit they are pulling. This option basically  lets someone else use your pc and bandwidth to download  shit from microsoft

I dont do windows

skimore wrote

Best not to install this garbage software

i.e. Windows.

How are they monetizing this?

Harvey wrote

How are they monetizing this?

By harvesting all your info and force feeding you crap like google does. It's so full of intrusiveness it's incredible. All this shit is on by default. Here's a nice feature. It's always nice to have a built in key logger on your pc sending shit somewhere

We share your personal data with your consent or as necessary to complete any transaction or provide any service you have requested or authorized. We also share data with Microsoft-controlled affiliates and subsidiaries; with vendors working on our behalf; when required by law or to respond to legal process; to protect our customers; to protect lives; to maintain the security of our services; and to protect the rights or property of Microsoft.

The distributed/peer to peer update thing is something just about everyone is doing now.  That is not a big deal.  Unless you are paying per gig for bandwidth it really is not an issue.  This allows them to get updates out faster which should keep the web as a whole safer.  

As far as the Cortana thing goes, if you want that functionality you have to give something up for it.  In order to have something automatically tell when your appointments are, when packages are coming to your door, what drive times are to certain places, and a ton of other digital assistant things you have to give up some privacy.  Is a person looking at this stuff... no.  Google does this.  Apple does this.  Everyone does this now.  It is a functionality the public wants and they are giving it to us.  If you don't want it you can shut it off or just not use it.  Personally, I love what google now does and don't mind what I'm giving up for it.

If you don't want this stuff, get a copy of linux and use that.  Don't use any cloud services.  Run a local Pop email server.  Find an ISP who does not keep records and always use a VPN.  Only use a flip pay as you go phone.  

You really should not be worried about microsoft or google with your info.  If you really want to be concerned about your privacy look at your ISP.  They know EVERYTHING about you.  They know where you go, how long you stay there, and they see all traffic that goes to you that is not encrypted.  All of the NSA stuff that was done happened on the ISP level, not the provider level.  AT&T bent over backwards to let the NSA in.  I'm sure Time Warner and Comcast have done the same.  

I have been using 10 for 2 months, it's ok once you figure out where stuff is. I migrated my wife's PC  to it 2 weeks ago and hit a snag. She went from 7 and was running windows security essentials for her protection. 10 uses Defender and the two are not compatible. The 10 install is supposed to remove essentials but it did not (many people have had this problem). Defender won't let you manually remove it so your stuck. So if you have this same use case, remove essentials first before the upgrade. The only solution people seem to have success with is to go back to 7, manually remove essentials and then upgrade again.

Footer wrote

 

As far as the Cortana thing goes, if you want that functionality you have to give something up for it.  

With it off info related to it is still passed back and forth. The traffic contains a machine identifier. When turning off searching the internet from the start menu it still sends info  to bing when you run a local search. You can't selectively install windows updates they push to you. They don't provide details on what these updates actually are

All this crap shouldn't be on by default. As in the case of the peer to peer updates.

Yes cloud services blow. Just look at all theses places that routinely expose their customers info

How about this one

Diagnostic and usage data: This feature can send a lot of data back to Microsoft, including how often you use certain apps, which apps you use most often, and memory snapshots (which can inadvertently include parts of a document you’re working on if something crashes). You can change this to Full, Enhanced, or Basic.

But you can't completely turn it off

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/

Here's a nice snippet out of the EULA

b. To the extent necessary to provide the Services to you and others, to protect you and the Services, and to improve Microsoft products and services, you grant to Microsoft a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content, for example, to make copies of, retain, transmit, reformat, display, and distribute via communication tools Your Content on the Services. If you publish Your Content in areas of the Service where it is available broadly online without restrictions, Your Content may appear in demonstrations or materials that promote the Service. Controls for how Microsoft personalizes advertising are available on the Security & privacy page of the Microsoft account management website. We do not use what you say in email, chat, video calls or voice mail, or your documents, photos or other personal files to target advertising to you. Our advertising policies are covered in detail in the Privacy Statements.

They also have a code of conduct in there which seems unprecedented

Code of Conduct.
a. By agreeing to these Terms, you’re agreeing that, when using the Services, you will follow these rules:
i. Don’t do anything illegal.
ii. Don’t engage in any activity that exploits, harms, or threatens to harm children.
iii. Don’t send spam. Spam is unwanted or unsolicited bulk email, postings, contact requests, SMS (text messages), or instant messages.
iv. Don’t publicly display or use the Services to share inappropriate Content or material (involving, for example, nudity, bestiality, pornography, graphic violence, or criminal activity).
v. Don’t engage in activity that is false or misleading (e.g., asking for money under false pretenses, impersonating someone else, manipulating the Services to increase play count, or affect rankings, ratings, or comments).
vi. Don’t circumvent any restrictions on access to or availability of the Services.
vii. Don’t engage in activity that is harmful to you, the Services, or others (e.g., transmitting viruses, stalking, communicating hate speech, or advocating violence against others).
viii. Don’t infringe upon the rights of others (e.g., unauthorized sharing of copyrighted music or other copyrighted material, resale or other distribution of Bing maps, or photographs).
ix. Don’t engage in activity that violates the privacy of others.
x. Don’t help others break these rules.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement/

I am so glad I use a Mac.

skimore wrote

Here's a nice snippet out of the EULA

b. To the extent necessary to provide the Services to you and others, to protect you and the Services, and to improve Microsoft products and services, you grant to Microsoft a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content, for example, to make copies of, retain, transmit, reformat, display, and distribute via communication tools Your Content on the Services. If you publish Your Content in areas of the Service where it is available broadly online without restrictions, Your Content may appear in demonstrations or materials that promote the Service. Controls for how Microsoft personalizes advertising are available on the Security & privacy page of the Microsoft account management website. We do not use what you say in email, chat, video calls or voice mail, or your documents, photos or other personal files to target advertising to you. Our advertising policies are covered in detail in the Privacy Statements.

They also have a code of conduct in there which seems unprecedented

Code of Conduct.
a. By agreeing to these Terms, you’re agreeing that, when using the Services, you will follow these rules:
i. Don’t do anything illegal.
ii. Don’t engage in any activity that exploits, harms, or threatens to harm children.
iii. Don’t send spam. Spam is unwanted or unsolicited bulk email, postings, contact requests, SMS (text messages), or instant messages.
iv. Don’t publicly display or use the Services to share inappropriate Content or material (involving, for example, nudity, bestiality, pornography, graphic violence, or criminal activity).
v. Don’t engage in activity that is false or misleading (e.g., asking for money under false pretenses, impersonating someone else, manipulating the Services to increase play count, or affect rankings, ratings, or comments).
vi. Don’t circumvent any restrictions on access to or availability of the Services.
vii. Don’t engage in activity that is harmful to you, the Services, or others (e.g., transmitting viruses, stalking, communicating hate speech, or advocating violence against others).
viii. Don’t infringe upon the rights of others (e.g., unauthorized sharing of copyrighted music or other copyrighted material, resale or other distribution of Bing maps, or photographs).
ix. Don’t engage in activity that violates the privacy of others.
x. Don’t help others break these rules.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement/

Every service provider from Apple to google to most websites has nearly that some language in their EULA.  All its there for is to allow them to touch your data as they move it around.  You have to have it for cloud services to work.  The code of conduct is there to get them out of a lawsuit is someone sues Microsoft for providing a way for a kiddie porn sleezebag to access and share his kiddie porn.  

They have been doing the diagnostic data thing for a long time.  Apple does the same thing.  Android does the same thing.  These OS's are highly complex things and without that data they can't fix issues.  

The OS update thing is just dumb.  If you want that feature, shell out the money and get Pro and then shut off auto updates.  They did that so the vast majority of PC's out there will be updated when microsoft pushes and update vs the months and years some people wait on critical updates.  It keeps everyone safer.  

Windows 10 is a totally different way of viewing an OS compared to what we were used to with windows 7 and before.  This is a connected OS.  Is is more like IOS/Android then like windows 7.  You have a choice.  You can either use it and let the features work for you or you can not use it and throw linux on your PC.  With linux you get ultimate control.  You lose some ease of use but it sounds like you don't want that to begin with.  

Footer wrote

Every service provider from Apple to google to most websites has nearly that some language in their EULA.  

Not nearly the same

Apple

b. Consent to Use of Data: You agree that Application Provider may collect and use technical data and related information, including but not limited to technical information about Your device, system and application software, and peripherals, that is gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, product support and other services to You (if any) related to the Licensed Application. Application Provider may use this information, as long as it is in a form that does not personally identify You, to improve its products or to provide services or technologies to You.

http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/en/terms.html

With Windows 10 you have to compare its EULA to the EULA provided by iCloud, Dropbox, or Google.  Cloud is baked into this OS.  Once again, if you don't like that, don't use it.  No one is forcing you.

If you are really that paranoid that someone is watching you post on skiing message boards you probably should just unhook from the internet all together.  Your ISP can watch everything you do and you can't stop them.  If you don't run updates on your system you can easily be hacked and you will have no clue it happened.  This is true for every OS out there.  If you are trying to preserve your privacy online you have already lost by coming online in the first place.  

All of these cloud devices are using machine learning to figure out what we want.  The more info they get, the better they will get at predicting what we want.  We are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this stuff.  You can either go with it or go against it.  We are already at the point of the star trek computer that you can ask anything and get a response.  This stuff is just going to get more connected and it will get to know you more.  With that, they can deliver the same level of service that would have taken a secretary working 40 hours a week to accomplish.    

If you don't like it, don't use these products.  We are living in a time when if you assume you have any privacy at all your are simply mistaken.  Say what you will about that, but the ship has sailed.  Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have already made up our minds for us on this.        

Your footprint is all over the internet, forget about absolute privacy - if you want privacy be a hermit.
You want free internet, free access to data and free access to forums like this - how do you thing this gets paid for.
Everybody wants something for nothing and when they are expected to give something for the service they get they get offended. You want to stay anonymous, but all you money in a mason jar, rip up your credit cards and check, eliminate all you accounts and tear up you passport and social security card and go live in a cave. It really doesn't matter what OS you use, everybody wants to protect you from yourself and wants to know everything about you.

PeeTex wrote

Your footprint is all over the internet, forget about absolute privacy - if you want privacy be a hermit.
You want free internet, free access to data and free access to forums like this - how do you thing this gets paid for.
.

This OS goes way beyond that

you grant to Microsoft a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content, for example, to make copies of, retain, transmit, reformat, display, and distribute

Which ISP do you use that provides free internet?

And where did you get that from?
Your comment got me to read the actual EULA and privacy statement and I don't see any language like that at all. If there were, no corporation in the world would use it and they can't afford to loose that market.

I can't believe people still use Windows anyways.  If you still do, you deserve it.