3 min read
Today marks the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest and reportedly, last entry into their Windows OS line of software. Windows 10 became popular for its innovative features and improvements upon Windows 7 and 8, but a recent discovery by TheNextWeb proves “all that glitters, isn’t gold”. Well, Windows 10 will be spying a whole lot more on users than ever before.
TNW has collected extensive evidence to suggest that Windows 10 would be a serious intrusion into user privacy. Let’s see how will be invading your privacy.
1. Everything will be synced
All your data including browsing history (favorites, bookmarks, etc) and Mobile hotspot / Wi-Fi passwords will be actively synced all the time. While this is a convenient feature, it can be a serious damper on your personal privacy should it fall into the wrong hands.
2. Cortana comes with strings attached
“To enable Cortana to provide personalized experiences and relevant suggestions, Microsoft collects and uses various types of data, such as your device location, data from your calendar, the apps you use, data from your emails and text messages, who you call, your contacts and how often you interact with them on your device.
Cortana also learns about you by collecting data about how you use your device and other Microsoft services, such as your music, alarm settings, whether the lock screen is on, what you view and purchase, your browser and Bing search history, and more.”
While most will argue that Cortana was meant to be a next level personal assistant and that the data helps in making it a more efficient assistant, I am sure that there are certainly some lines that Cortana is crossing when she reads my personal texts, emails, contacts, and other data.
See Also: How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free right now
3. Your device will have its own advertising ID
Your device will have its very own advertising ID which you can disable in the options. However, it is still outright outrageous to be spied upon and being made ad’s for. It’s not bad enough that Facebook and Google do this on Internet, but now Microsoft can do on our devices too.
4. Microsoft can give your data to whoever they feel like.
“We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good-faith belief that doing so is necessary to protect our customers or enforce the terms governing the use of the services.”
Most of these features can be deactivated when you first install Windows 10, but there are still certain unavoidable barriers to your privacy being protected. Cortana monitoring users and Microsoft always holding your data are perhaps the biggest culprits of users personal privacy,
Will you give a second thought about Windows 10? Let us know in the comments.
The source for this article was TheNextWeb and the featured image was taken from somerset.
