4 ms·

Since it is a proprietary software, did you reverse engineer it to see if it really does what you think? Or have you used some packet sniffer, like Wireshark a

Since it is a proprietary software, did you reverse engineer it to see if it really does what you think? Or have you used some packet sniffer, like Wireshark and analyzed the network traffic extensively? Unless you do those things, you're still at their mercy. Not that it matters too much, since Google already has access to anything you do on your Android phone, and I don't think Microsoft is "worse" than them...

petra 11y ago
We don't know Microsoft isn't worse. And even of it isn't maybe it's better to limit the number of companies with extensive collection of our personal data.
- scholia 11y ago
  We don't know that Microsoft is worse, but we do know that Google's entire business is based on surveillance and personalized advertising, and that it's an insignificant part of Microsoft's business.
  - petra 11y ago
    That's true. But their efforts in that direction are very significant. And we know that AI tech requires massive data collection. And microsoft seems determined as ever to improve Bing(and Bing ads). And Bing Ads(which is also responsible for Yahoo's search ads) , according to some reports , may have 20% of the U.S. search ads market. And leaving money aside, Bing and Bing ads may be of strategic importance to Microsoft. So if microsoft would have chance to sell our data to advertisers , it will do so , i have no doubt. Also they could have easily marketed Bing as a search engine with higher privacy level, or at least higher privacy level for sensitive stuff like medical etc. But they didn't.
    - scholia 11y ago
      You realize that Bing ads are actually sold by AOL? Microsoft more or less gave up on the ad businesses in 2012 when it wrote off $6.2bn over its purchase of aQuantive. http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-business-in-doubt-after-$62-billion-write-off/d/d-id/1105163 http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-bu...?
      - petra 11y ago
        I think they sold the display ad business to AOL but kept the search ad business.
        scholia 11y ago
        "Under the terms of the agreement, both companies would benefit. AOL would take over management and sales for the majority of the advertising on Microsoft’s gaming, mobile, and web products. In exchange, AOL would make Bing their search engine of choice instead of Google—a significant boost for Bing since AOL still has 2.2 million dial-up subscribers alone (yes, even in 2015). AOL would also extend job offers to more than 1,000 Microsoft employees working in the adtech space. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Microsoft will continue to have an advertising division with a much smaller portfolio. Additional Microsoft responsibilities were handed over to another adtech firm, New York’s AppNexus." [My itals] http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft-advertising-deal-matters http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft... Microsoft really isn't in the ad business in any significant way nowadays....
kalleboo 11y ago
On iOS the OS limits network access to keyboards unless you explicitly approve it. Of course on Android, Google refuse to do anything about privacy controls.
- soylentcola 11y ago
  Really? I've got quite a few permissions that I can allow or deny on a per-app basis. Admittedly, "network access" is not included in the default list which I assume is a way to keep people from breaking app functionality (for better or worse) but there are several third party apps that let you toggle network access permissions. Not quite as nice as something built in but if you're the type to go into settings and modify app permissions, you're probably also the the type who doesn't mind grabbing an app from the Play Store to do the same.
- abawany 11y ago
  I tend to root my Android devices so that I can install XPrivacy, which gives me very fine-grained access controls for apps. An alternative approach that I have also used for some devices is to install Cyanogenmod, which often comes bundled with PrivacyGuard that also provides fine-grained access controls.

petra 11y ago

We don't know Microsoft isn't worse. And even of it isn't maybe it's better to limit the number of companies with extensive collection of our personal data.

scholia 11y ago
We don't know that Microsoft is worse, but we do know that Google's entire business is based on surveillance and personalized advertising, and that it's an insignificant part of Microsoft's business.
- petra 11y ago
  That's true. But their efforts in that direction are very significant. And we know that AI tech requires massive data collection. And microsoft seems determined as ever to improve Bing(and Bing ads). And Bing Ads(which is also responsible for Yahoo's search ads) , according to some reports , may have 20% of the U.S. search ads market. And leaving money aside, Bing and Bing ads may be of strategic importance to Microsoft. So if microsoft would have chance to sell our data to advertisers , it will do so , i have no doubt. Also they could have easily marketed Bing as a search engine with higher privacy level, or at least higher privacy level for sensitive stuff like medical etc. But they didn't.
  - scholia 11y ago
    You realize that Bing ads are actually sold by AOL? Microsoft more or less gave up on the ad businesses in 2012 when it wrote off $6.2bn over its purchase of aQuantive. http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-business-in-doubt-after-$62-billion-write-off/d/d-id/1105163 http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-bu...?
    - petra 11y ago
      I think they sold the display ad business to AOL but kept the search ad business.
      - scholia 11y ago
        "Under the terms of the agreement, both companies would benefit. AOL would take over management and sales for the majority of the advertising on Microsoft’s gaming, mobile, and web products. In exchange, AOL would make Bing their search engine of choice instead of Google—a significant boost for Bing since AOL still has 2.2 million dial-up subscribers alone (yes, even in 2015). AOL would also extend job offers to more than 1,000 Microsoft employees working in the adtech space. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Microsoft will continue to have an advertising division with a much smaller portfolio. Additional Microsoft responsibilities were handed over to another adtech firm, New York’s AppNexus." [My itals] http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft-advertising-deal-matters http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft... Microsoft really isn't in the ad business in any significant way nowadays....

kalleboo 11y ago

On iOS the OS limits network access to keyboards unless you explicitly approve it. Of course on Android, Google refuse to do anything about privacy controls.

soylentcola 11y ago
Really? I've got quite a few permissions that I can allow or deny on a per-app basis. Admittedly, "network access" is not included in the default list which I assume is a way to keep people from breaking app functionality (for better or worse) but there are several third party apps that let you toggle network access permissions. Not quite as nice as something built in but if you're the type to go into settings and modify app permissions, you're probably also the the type who doesn't mind grabbing an app from the Play Store to do the same.
abawany 11y ago
I tend to root my Android devices so that I can install XPrivacy, which gives me very fine-grained access controls for apps. An alternative approach that I have also used for some devices is to install Cyanogenmod, which often comes bundled with PrivacyGuard that also provides fine-grained access controls.