> The fact that google stores your search queries for later suggestion is spyware to some and convenience to others. There is one very significant difference.

> The fact that google stores your search queries for later suggestion is spyware to some and convenience to others. There is one very significant difference. The fact, that the Google search is being done at Google servers, so you have to send out the query - and you are aware, that you are sending the query over network to another computer. Not so with Windows 10 - search in start menu (with Cortana and Bing integration disabled) still sends your query to Bing. Why? It cannot do anything with the search, your local machine is being searched, why should be the query sent at all? The solution would be to firewall SearchUI.exe from sending out anything. But it turns out, that this was intentionally made difficult: a) The firewall rules include exe version numbers. b) The exe versions, their respective firewall rules and your preferences are changed by updates. c) You cannot forbid or manually vet the updates. So basically a+b+c together, Microsoft can (and does) change anything behind your back, without you noticing. > There are a set of checkboxes under advanced options in the Windows 10 install to "disable spyware" and, it turns out, having those checkboxes didn't stop people from complaining. As mentioned above, they are there for good feeling, if they are there. They don't really work as a reasonable person would imagine they would. For some things (i.e. telemetry, update vetting), there are no check boxes at all. It does not help, that even for check/combo boxes that are there, they are silently reset with updates. No wonder that people think, that this is unreasonable and talk loudly about that. And yes, it is easy to address - just don't do things behind people's back, be transparent with data you are sending out, allow out outs (you can ask at OOBE, without hiding choices) and don't silently change preferences. You know, behave how a honest person would behave.