16 ms·

Fix Windows 10 Privacy

152 points by jlg23 10y ago

cm2187 10y ago
It doesn't need to be an installer, it would be great to have a standalone executable version too.
- UnoriginalGuy 10y ago
  Frankly it could just be a folder with a bunch of *.reg files in it and a ReadMe explaining what each one does...
  - cm2187 10y ago
    or a .cmd file with some comments
eklavya 10y ago
I couldn't imagine having to fight paid software to not invade privacy like that some time ago. Things have gotten out of hand, it's a sad time. How did it come to this?
- oridecon 10y ago
  It's been like this for ages, it's like that stain in the ceiling you never noticed before. Oh, and if you start digging you'll get even more angry. Things you trust without thinking twice (not really but you get the idea) is also compromised or doesn't have a practical alternative: hardware, TPM, certificates, your smartphone hardware and software, ∞ (I'm no expert, I just like to complain about it)
  - eklavya 10y ago
    Yeah, I think those "fanatics" were right all along. Ignorance is bliss.
jlg23 10y ago
TL;DR: Fix Windows 10 Privacy can be used via a GUI or the commandline. Right now it implements about 130 rules, which keep Windows 10 in check, regarding data protection. And: OneDrive Cloud users or users of others of the above mentioned features should refrain from using this tool at this time, because the functionality of these services will be limited or disabled after running it.
- brudgers 10y ago
  Reading through the article, it seems like I remember Windows 10 exposing all of these settings to the end user.
  - yAnonymous 10y ago
    "Do you not want to disable spy feature X? Yes means no and no means yes. YES/NO" The wording on these options is deliberately misleading and there are way too many of them in different places. Microsoft know full well that everyone would just click "NO" when asked whether to activate all these telemetry tools in simple language.
    - cm2187 10y ago
      Plus if you need to click on every single one of them and go through the confirmations, you will get a cramp. Better to use a tool for that.
    - pc86 10y ago
      > Microsoft know full well that everyone would just click "NO" when asked whether to activate all these telemetry tools in simple language. That's not true. I am more than happy to share anonymous usage and telemetry data with software providers, assuming that it's clear what I am sending, that it's anonymous, and that I can easily change my decision later. Simple language makes me far more likely to give you as much anonymous data as you want. If I can't tell what I'll be sharing, I won't be sharing anything.
    - brudgers 10y ago
lingben 10y ago
not to be glib but the best way to fix windows 10 privacy issues is to stop using windows 10 and switch to linux, there are many user friendly, mature distros out right now and they are only getting better: ubuntu, linux mint, arch, manjaro, openSUSE, centOS, etc. as well as up and comer new distros like elementary
- warcode 10y ago
  Please write the tutorial to run all windows games (at the same performance level) on linux and we're talking.
  - jhasse 10y ago
    Dual-boot ;)
    - invokestatic 10y ago
      That doesn't solve the privacy problem, then.
      - johncolanduoni 10y ago
        It helps a lot if you encrypt the other OS's drive and use Windows as little as possible. If you have a computer with an IOMMU and a virtualization-friendly graphics card you can do even better.
      - homarp 10y ago
        yes, it helps by sending a signal: it gives to microsoft the information that you are only using Win10 for playing. And 'something else' the rest of the time.
      - crdoconnor 10y ago
        If all you're doing on the OS is playing games there's not much privacy to violate.
    - 10y ago
walterbell 10y ago
Microsoft officially ended OEM sales of Windows 7 with new Skylake hardware on Oct 31, but there are still some WIndows 7 OEM devices left in retail channels. Some effort is still needed to remove telemetry updates from Windows 7, but you get the benefit of compatibility with existing apps and very few global ongoing changes to your work environment. If you buy a new Skylake device now with Windows 7, you will receive security updates through 2019.
- jlgaddis 10y ago
  Recently (just within the last couple of days), I've been thinking about setting up a Windows 7 Enterprise VM for occasional use. Am I correct in understanding that this telemetry crap is going on in Windows 7 also!? I don't really keep up-to-date on it (I use only OS X and Linux on the desktop) but I was under the impression that only Windows 8 and Windows 10 were affected by this telemetry ("spying", IMO) issue?
  - walterbell 10y ago
    Telemetry was aadded to Windows 7 around Aug 2015, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10110155 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10110155. With a bit of effort, most of the update KBs can be identified and manually removed. It's still a pain though, because there are many sites with conflicting claims about which updates can be removed safely. I also found at least one update that reinstalls itself after removal. Since then, Microsoft has moved to monthly updates which combine security fixes + functional changes. If you want only security fixes, you need to disable automatic updates and download a separate security-only monthly rollup. It's a shame, but we're approaching the point where we will need to whitelist all outbound traffic using a firewall that is external to the operating system. Anything that isn't whitelisted should be blocked, logged and audited. Someone should start a VPN service that blocks Microsoft, Google and Apple telemetry. If we had regulators, telemetry could be forced to use stable domain names to enable network filtering, and telemetry traffic would be unbundled from application traffic.
    - jlgaddis 10y ago
namanspace 10y ago
This is not something new. There are a lot of tools avaiable on GtiHub which are far better than this tool. Infact, the first tool I used was Nummer's DWS [1] (stil the best one out there). [1] https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying/ https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying/ [2] https://github.com/WindowsLies/BlockWindows https://github.com/WindowsLies/BlockWindows [3] https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10 https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10 [4] https://github.com/dfkt/win10-unfuck https://github.com/dfkt/win10-unfuck
- alister 10y ago
  If I were to run just one of those tools, I'd pick the original article. That's because his plain English description is far better than the others. He starts off with "What & Why?" and explains what problem he's solving; the others jump in with words like "remove all spyware modules". Even for very technical people, unless we're willing to analyze the source code, a good clear description (and reviews) is how we're going to decide which product to try.
  - w4rh4wk5 10y ago
    Author of [3] here, you are right, I do skip the what & why, on purpose. I think there a far better places to learn about the whole spyware / telemetry and privacy topic, even better than the original article. [3] is made for admins which already know what they want (and why) to help them kickstart their own setup scripts. They are advised to read the scripts themselves instead of an inaccurate explanation. I do not intend to sell you the project. (Sell in the sense of talking you into using it. Either it's what you are looking for or you need something different. And I will not waste your valuable time if you need something different.) [3]: https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10 https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10
  - rasz_pl 10y ago
    Thats cool, me on the other hand I rather look at the code and see with my own eyes whats going on, that means peeking into .bat and .ps files.
- 10y ago
prplhaz4 10y ago
All of this "help" for "fixing" Windows 10 privacy issues seems to be based on the "don't worry, I know best" method rather than actual facts explaining the effect each of the items being disabled. I like using Cortana and Windows Store apps. I like being able to provide bug reports when something hangs. I don't like the idea of any data going to the mothership that doesn't have an obvious effect on my day to day computing. I'm especially leery of anything that requires (arbitrarily defined) personal information. I also don't have time to research every one of these registry keys or policies...soooo...thanks for doing some of the work!
- cm2187 10y ago
  I am actually quite happy that someone else than me is trying new drugs before they are widely used as a treatment. I have mixed feelings about Microsoft using consumers as beta testers.
  - pryelluw 10y ago
    Most other companies are doing it. Software now is seen as road construction. Always under way and never done.
    - cm2187 10y ago
      Yeah but Microsoft should have catch the start menu hang plaguing windows 10 recently before it goes into production. And I am not sure that "everyone else does it" is a good reason. Everyone else does nagging. Apple nags again and again for its icloud, apple pay, apple music, etc. I get some nagging for using instagram all over my facebook feed. Microsofts nags me for using edge, onedrive, etc. But "the others do it too" doesn't make a good product.
      - pryelluw 10y ago
        They should absolutely fix it. But they just fall back to the "everyone is doing it, so why not us" attitude. I've seen companies include phone-home features after win10 rolled out theirs.
kgtm 10y ago
I'm sorry but this is crap. Any amount of service toggling and hosts file stuffing will not suffice. It just screams ignorance. As a software developer you should understand that plugging holes in a black box is a futile effort. All these tools are doing is giving a false sense of privacy, that the next update will undo by flipping a switch or installing a new service. If you think the OS is violating your privacy, stop using it or remove it from the Internet. Or both. It's the only way. Edited to add: If you actually like Windows (I do), just switch to the Enterprise Edition and dial Telemetry down to "Security". Here is an explanation of what little is then shared, and how to even further minimize your footprint: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/configure-windows-telemetry-in-your-organization#security-level https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/con... Edit to address the availability of the Enterprise Edition: If you are not able to get it via your $JOB, a valid key from MSDN surplus shouldn't be more than $50 if you look around. Of course you'd then be bending the EULA in your favor, but hey, since Microsoft is spying on everyone against their will I think it is fair game, right?
- code_scrapping 10y ago
  So - no effort is better than some effort? That's pretty dark, and if we're given a control of at least 20% of the holes, I would say - use that control.
  - krapp 10y ago
    There is no such thing as "some effort" when it comes to privacy on Windows - only futile effort. Either you accept that using Windows means Microsoft exercises arbitrary and unrestrained control over your system, or you don't use Windows.
- Programmatic 10y ago
  Pragmatically there are reasons for some people to run Windows 10 vs. other operating systems, even if you don't/won't recognize them. Tools like this allow people to run Windows 10 in a "good enough" state and spread awareness of the problem. It will always be a cat and mouse game if the black box vendor so chooses but it's still better than doing nothing. Edit: To address your edit, aren't you trusting their black box and using a different tool to accomplish the same? Also, not everyone has access to Windows 10 Enterprise.
UnoriginalGuy 10y ago
Yet another "helper" that diminishes computer user's computing experience for the sake of supposed privacy, then just sets completely arbitrary policies that have nothing to do with transmitting information back to Microsoft. This program will mess up most Windows 10 installations. In ways that may take you months or even years to ultimately notice. Let's look at some of these rules: - "[Disable] Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list." Meaning websites cannot provide a translated version that you'll want (e.g. if you visit a Chinese website, they may not provide an English translation since you aren't sending the language list). - "[Disable] Let apps access/control my camera/location/contacts/microphone/etc." Breaks all apps that use the custom permissions (e.g. Skype). With it enabled they would still prompt you for per-app permission (camera, location, contacts, etc), with it disabled they're treated like you don't have a camera/microphone/etc at all... But only for modern apps, Win32 can still access the camera/contacts/etc. Effectively you're just breaking all modern apps on Win10. - Turn back on outdated insecure Bitlocker encryption, turn on incompatible Bitlocker modes, and turn on Bitlocker modes that only exist in higher versions (e.g. enterprise edition). Uhh, k? Why are they dicking around with Bitlocker policies? - Encrypt the page file (Even on Bitlocker enabled systems?). - Disable auto-complete, password manager, and other useful browser functionality in Edge & IE. Also clear browser history upon exit (i.e. break browser history). - Actually disable OneDrive via GPO (i.e. don't just limit it, kill it). - Break automatic web proxy configuration (may kick certain people offline depending on network setup). - Disables SshBroker (SSH Sever) because, reasons..? Just go look in the source code. This is amature hour. Someone's just gone through GPO, set a bunch of stuff without understanding what it did, noted down the corresponding registry changes and built this wrapper around it. But they never understood the GPO policies to begin with! Disabling the IPv6 helper may also kick people offline (even if it is very niche, what does that have to do with "privacy," what do 80% of these changes have to do with "privacy?"). I wish this nonsense didn't get upvoted on HN.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
ralmidani 10y ago
It's surprising and sad how much drama people are willing to put up with rather than switch to GNU/Linux. (edit: some) People are willing to get unlicensed copies, exposing themselves to legal consequences and malware, rather than use a free (as in freedom and price) operating system.
- maouida 10y ago
  I tried many times to use Ubuntu as my main machine but I always go back to Windows. Why? more than 4 times when I run a system Upgrade it fails and I end up with a broken system. The other thing that holds me back is the UI. Hundreds of Themes available but I always see them as "cartoonish" themes that are not well though of.
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    I'm dual-booting between Windows and Ubuntu. I keep Windows for games that require it; most of my daily use is on Linux, but there I spend most of the time in the shell, Emacs and in Chrome. So I tolerate various UX annoyances. But I'm not going to recommend Ubuntu (or for that matter, any other Linux system I've used so far, and I've used a few) to normal people looking for a normal desktop - there's just too many glitches, too many UX annoyances, too many bugs in GUI-dependent software. For all its issues, Windows has a quite polished desktop ecosystem.
  - JustSomeNobody 10y ago
    Windows brakes on updates also[0]. It's all about knowing the system well enough to fix it when it does. [0] Heck, Windows breaks on reboots! Sometimes when I reboot, it either forgets my bluetooth or my wireless. And by forgets, I mean it doesn't think the hardware even exists. Multiple machines, multiple vendors, so it's not just one odd computer.
    - ctrl-j 10y ago
      Well, anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. Rough count, I've worked with 30+ different windows machines over the last few decades. I have never seen the problem you are describing. I'm not saying you're not having it, I'm just saying it's not necessarily a common event. Maybe you live/work somewhere with a lot of EM interference?
RainCloud 10y ago
"What is normality with Apple since long and apparently has been accepted by OSX users..." As far as I know, OS X asks for permission for diagnostic data collection on first boot and can be turned off anytime. Unlike Windows, on OS X the data collected is not stored encrypted and can be inspected. They are not equivalent.
- givinguflac 10y ago
  Seriously. People just irrationally hate on Apple no matter how far they'll go to trumpet user privacy from the rooftops. There is tons of objective evidence of Windows spying, yet no sources for this claim about macs. SMH.
- boardwaalk 10y ago
  Just having reinstalled Sierra yesterday, it does. It also asks you if you want to turn Siri on, and tells you everything Siri collects. It's also easy to turn off "Spotlight Suggestions". Whether that's actually everything, I don't personally know. It seemed like a unnecessary and out of place dig though.
- izacus 10y ago
  I have disabled diagnostic data collection, and LittleSnitch still finds at least 6 daemons constantly trying to do requests and send data to Apple servers. (And yes, I also dug through the settings and disabled things in a rather counter-intuitive Spotlight menu.)
ape4 10y ago
How much bandwidth does does all the "Telemetry" take?
- rasz_pl 10y ago
  That depends. Usually very little (single KB/s or less), but W10 is able to produce (write to disk) over 1GB/day of logs/traces/dumps that sits there and waits to be requested by the mothership.
makecheck 10y ago
It doesn’t really matter if off-switches exist, the problem is that the features are there to begin with. In any piece of code, a switch is a point of added complexity. For ANY such toggle: - The switch might not be saved correctly. - There can be a regression where the switch stops working in the future. - The switch, despite being “saved” correctly and displayed by a reassuring checkbox in a GUI panel, might not actually be CONSULTED in all the places it needs to be consulted (resulting in default-on, default-off or “whatever the developer of that component felt like” in various components across the system). - There can be a regression in any one of the components consulting the switch in the future, leading to an inconsistent combination of things that may or may not check for this setting over time. When they give over 100 options, I assume 50 of them don’t work and that they have no real incentive to make sure the other 50 keep working. About the only thing you can trust is a single on/off switch for the whole thing, while simultaneously checking a bunch of low-level things (regularly blocking unwanted hosts, logging network activity, etc.).
jaclaz 10y ago
Side note: The Author has invented a BSD 2-Clause license, making it a 2+1 non-BSD license, by adding: NON-MILITARY-USAGE CLAUSE Redistribution and use in source and binary form for military use and military research is not permitted. Infringement of these clauses may result in publishing the source code of the utilizing applications and libraries to the public. As this software is developed, tested and reviewed by international volunteers, this clause shall not be refused due to the matter of national security concerns.
- compuguy 10y ago
  This is disappointing, because some of us do work as contractors, or a civilian employees for military agencies. This is the same issue with Mosh (which uses a patented library with a restriction on military use).
LeoPanthera 10y ago
How does this compare to ShutUp10, which I've been using for months? https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

152 points by jlg23 10y ago

cm2187 10y ago

It doesn't need to be an installer, it would be great to have a standalone executable version too.

UnoriginalGuy 10y ago
Frankly it could just be a folder with a bunch of *.reg files in it and a ReadMe explaining what each one does...
- cm2187 10y ago
  or a .cmd file with some comments

eklavya 10y ago

I couldn't imagine having to fight paid software to not invade privacy like that some time ago. Things have gotten out of hand, it's a sad time. How did it come to this?

oridecon 10y ago
It's been like this for ages, it's like that stain in the ceiling you never noticed before. Oh, and if you start digging you'll get even more angry. Things you trust without thinking twice (not really but you get the idea) is also compromised or doesn't have a practical alternative: hardware, TPM, certificates, your smartphone hardware and software, ∞ (I'm no expert, I just like to complain about it)
- eklavya 10y ago
  Yeah, I think those "fanatics" were right all along. Ignorance is bliss.

jlg23 10y ago

TL;DR: Fix Windows 10 Privacy can be used via a GUI or the commandline. Right now it implements about 130 rules, which keep Windows 10 in check, regarding data protection. And: OneDrive Cloud users or users of others of the above mentioned features should refrain from using this tool at this time, because the functionality of these services will be limited or disabled after running it.

brudgers 10y ago
Reading through the article, it seems like I remember Windows 10 exposing all of these settings to the end user.
- yAnonymous 10y ago
  "Do you not want to disable spy feature X? Yes means no and no means yes. YES/NO" The wording on these options is deliberately misleading and there are way too many of them in different places. Microsoft know full well that everyone would just click "NO" when asked whether to activate all these telemetry tools in simple language.
  - cm2187 10y ago
    Plus if you need to click on every single one of them and go through the confirmations, you will get a cramp. Better to use a tool for that.
  - pc86 10y ago
    > Microsoft know full well that everyone would just click "NO" when asked whether to activate all these telemetry tools in simple language. That's not true. I am more than happy to share anonymous usage and telemetry data with software providers, assuming that it's clear what I am sending, that it's anonymous, and that I can easily change my decision later. Simple language makes me far more likely to give you as much anonymous data as you want. If I can't tell what I'll be sharing, I won't be sharing anything.
  - brudgers 10y ago

lingben 10y ago

not to be glib but the best way to fix windows 10 privacy issues is to stop using windows 10 and switch to linux, there are many user friendly, mature distros out right now and they are only getting better: ubuntu, linux mint, arch, manjaro, openSUSE, centOS, etc. as well as up and comer new distros like elementary

warcode 10y ago
Please write the tutorial to run all windows games (at the same performance level) on linux and we're talking.
- jhasse 10y ago
  Dual-boot ;)
  - invokestatic 10y ago
    That doesn't solve the privacy problem, then.
    - johncolanduoni 10y ago
      It helps a lot if you encrypt the other OS's drive and use Windows as little as possible. If you have a computer with an IOMMU and a virtualization-friendly graphics card you can do even better.
    - homarp 10y ago
      yes, it helps by sending a signal: it gives to microsoft the information that you are only using Win10 for playing. And 'something else' the rest of the time.
    - crdoconnor 10y ago
      If all you're doing on the OS is playing games there's not much privacy to violate.
  - 10y ago

walterbell 10y ago

Microsoft officially ended OEM sales of Windows 7 with new Skylake hardware on Oct 31, but there are still some WIndows 7 OEM devices left in retail channels. Some effort is still needed to remove telemetry updates from Windows 7, but you get the benefit of compatibility with existing apps and very few global ongoing changes to your work environment. If you buy a new Skylake device now with Windows 7, you will receive security updates through 2019.

jlgaddis 10y ago
Recently (just within the last couple of days), I've been thinking about setting up a Windows 7 Enterprise VM for occasional use. Am I correct in understanding that this telemetry crap is going on in Windows 7 also!? I don't really keep up-to-date on it (I use only OS X and Linux on the desktop) but I was under the impression that only Windows 8 and Windows 10 were affected by this telemetry ("spying", IMO) issue?
- walterbell 10y ago
  Telemetry was aadded to Windows 7 around Aug 2015, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10110155 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10110155. With a bit of effort, most of the update KBs can be identified and manually removed. It's still a pain though, because there are many sites with conflicting claims about which updates can be removed safely. I also found at least one update that reinstalls itself after removal. Since then, Microsoft has moved to monthly updates which combine security fixes + functional changes. If you want only security fixes, you need to disable automatic updates and download a separate security-only monthly rollup. It's a shame, but we're approaching the point where we will need to whitelist all outbound traffic using a firewall that is external to the operating system. Anything that isn't whitelisted should be blocked, logged and audited. Someone should start a VPN service that blocks Microsoft, Google and Apple telemetry. If we had regulators, telemetry could be forced to use stable domain names to enable network filtering, and telemetry traffic would be unbundled from application traffic.
  - jlgaddis 10y ago

namanspace 10y ago

This is not something new. There are a lot of tools avaiable on GtiHub which are far better than this tool. Infact, the first tool I used was Nummer's DWS [1] (stil the best one out there). [1] https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying/ https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying/ [2] https://github.com/WindowsLies/BlockWindows https://github.com/WindowsLies/BlockWindows [3] https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10 https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10 [4] https://github.com/dfkt/win10-unfuck https://github.com/dfkt/win10-unfuck

alister 10y ago
If I were to run just one of those tools, I'd pick the original article. That's because his plain English description is far better than the others. He starts off with "What & Why?" and explains what problem he's solving; the others jump in with words like "remove all spyware modules". Even for very technical people, unless we're willing to analyze the source code, a good clear description (and reviews) is how we're going to decide which product to try.
- w4rh4wk5 10y ago
  Author of [3] here, you are right, I do skip the what & why, on purpose. I think there a far better places to learn about the whole spyware / telemetry and privacy topic, even better than the original article. [3] is made for admins which already know what they want (and why) to help them kickstart their own setup scripts. They are advised to read the scripts themselves instead of an inaccurate explanation. I do not intend to sell you the project. (Sell in the sense of talking you into using it. Either it's what you are looking for or you need something different. And I will not waste your valuable time if you need something different.) [3]: https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10 https://github.com/W4RH4WK/Debloat-Windows-10
- rasz_pl 10y ago
  Thats cool, me on the other hand I rather look at the code and see with my own eyes whats going on, that means peeking into .bat and .ps files.
10y ago

prplhaz4 10y ago

All of this "help" for "fixing" Windows 10 privacy issues seems to be based on the "don't worry, I know best" method rather than actual facts explaining the effect each of the items being disabled. I like using Cortana and Windows Store apps. I like being able to provide bug reports when something hangs. I don't like the idea of any data going to the mothership that doesn't have an obvious effect on my day to day computing. I'm especially leery of anything that requires (arbitrarily defined) personal information. I also don't have time to research every one of these registry keys or policies...soooo...thanks for doing some of the work!

cm2187 10y ago
I am actually quite happy that someone else than me is trying new drugs before they are widely used as a treatment. I have mixed feelings about Microsoft using consumers as beta testers.
- pryelluw 10y ago
  Most other companies are doing it. Software now is seen as road construction. Always under way and never done.
  - cm2187 10y ago
    Yeah but Microsoft should have catch the start menu hang plaguing windows 10 recently before it goes into production. And I am not sure that "everyone else does it" is a good reason. Everyone else does nagging. Apple nags again and again for its icloud, apple pay, apple music, etc. I get some nagging for using instagram all over my facebook feed. Microsofts nags me for using edge, onedrive, etc. But "the others do it too" doesn't make a good product.
    - pryelluw 10y ago
      They should absolutely fix it. But they just fall back to the "everyone is doing it, so why not us" attitude. I've seen companies include phone-home features after win10 rolled out theirs.

kgtm 10y ago

I'm sorry but this is crap. Any amount of service toggling and hosts file stuffing will not suffice. It just screams ignorance. As a software developer you should understand that plugging holes in a black box is a futile effort. All these tools are doing is giving a false sense of privacy, that the next update will undo by flipping a switch or installing a new service. If you think the OS is violating your privacy, stop using it or remove it from the Internet. Or both. It's the only way. Edited to add: If you actually like Windows (I do), just switch to the Enterprise Edition and dial Telemetry down to "Security". Here is an explanation of what little is then shared, and how to even further minimize your footprint: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/configure-windows-telemetry-in-your-organization#security-level https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/con... Edit to address the availability of the Enterprise Edition: If you are not able to get it via your $JOB, a valid key from MSDN surplus shouldn't be more than $50 if you look around. Of course you'd then be bending the EULA in your favor, but hey, since Microsoft is spying on everyone against their will I think it is fair game, right?

code_scrapping 10y ago
So - no effort is better than some effort? That's pretty dark, and if we're given a control of at least 20% of the holes, I would say - use that control.
- krapp 10y ago
  There is no such thing as "some effort" when it comes to privacy on Windows - only futile effort. Either you accept that using Windows means Microsoft exercises arbitrary and unrestrained control over your system, or you don't use Windows.
Programmatic 10y ago
Pragmatically there are reasons for some people to run Windows 10 vs. other operating systems, even if you don't/won't recognize them. Tools like this allow people to run Windows 10 in a "good enough" state and spread awareness of the problem. It will always be a cat and mouse game if the black box vendor so chooses but it's still better than doing nothing. Edit: To address your edit, aren't you trusting their black box and using a different tool to accomplish the same? Also, not everyone has access to Windows 10 Enterprise.

UnoriginalGuy 10y ago

Yet another "helper" that diminishes computer user's computing experience for the sake of supposed privacy, then just sets completely arbitrary policies that have nothing to do with transmitting information back to Microsoft. This program will mess up most Windows 10 installations. In ways that may take you months or even years to ultimately notice. Let's look at some of these rules: - "[Disable] Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list." Meaning websites cannot provide a translated version that you'll want (e.g. if you visit a Chinese website, they may not provide an English translation since you aren't sending the language list). - "[Disable] Let apps access/control my camera/location/contacts/microphone/etc." Breaks all apps that use the custom permissions (e.g. Skype). With it enabled they would still prompt you for per-app permission (camera, location, contacts, etc), with it disabled they're treated like you don't have a camera/microphone/etc at all... But only for modern apps, Win32 can still access the camera/contacts/etc. Effectively you're just breaking all modern apps on Win10. - Turn back on outdated insecure Bitlocker encryption, turn on incompatible Bitlocker modes, and turn on Bitlocker modes that only exist in higher versions (e.g. enterprise edition). Uhh, k? Why are they dicking around with Bitlocker policies? - Encrypt the page file (Even on Bitlocker enabled systems?). - Disable auto-complete, password manager, and other useful browser functionality in Edge & IE. Also clear browser history upon exit (i.e. break browser history). - Actually disable OneDrive via GPO (i.e. don't just limit it, kill it). - Break automatic web proxy configuration (may kick certain people offline depending on network setup). - Disables SshBroker (SSH Sever) because, reasons..? Just go look in the source code. This is amature hour. Someone's just gone through GPO, set a bunch of stuff without understanding what it did, noted down the corresponding registry changes and built this wrapper around it. But they never understood the GPO policies to begin with! Disabling the IPv6 helper may also kick people offline (even if it is very niche, what does that have to do with "privacy," what do 80% of these changes have to do with "privacy?"). I wish this nonsense didn't get upvoted on HN.

deleted 10y ago

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ralmidani 10y ago

It's surprising and sad how much drama people are willing to put up with rather than switch to GNU/Linux. (edit: some) People are willing to get unlicensed copies, exposing themselves to legal consequences and malware, rather than use a free (as in freedom and price) operating system.

maouida 10y ago
I tried many times to use Ubuntu as my main machine but I always go back to Windows. Why? more than 4 times when I run a system Upgrade it fails and I end up with a broken system. The other thing that holds me back is the UI. Hundreds of Themes available but I always see them as "cartoonish" themes that are not well though of.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  I'm dual-booting between Windows and Ubuntu. I keep Windows for games that require it; most of my daily use is on Linux, but there I spend most of the time in the shell, Emacs and in Chrome. So I tolerate various UX annoyances. But I'm not going to recommend Ubuntu (or for that matter, any other Linux system I've used so far, and I've used a few) to normal people looking for a normal desktop - there's just too many glitches, too many UX annoyances, too many bugs in GUI-dependent software. For all its issues, Windows has a quite polished desktop ecosystem.
- JustSomeNobody 10y ago
  Windows brakes on updates also[0]. It's all about knowing the system well enough to fix it when it does. [0] Heck, Windows breaks on reboots! Sometimes when I reboot, it either forgets my bluetooth or my wireless. And by forgets, I mean it doesn't think the hardware even exists. Multiple machines, multiple vendors, so it's not just one odd computer.
  - ctrl-j 10y ago
    Well, anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. Rough count, I've worked with 30+ different windows machines over the last few decades. I have never seen the problem you are describing. I'm not saying you're not having it, I'm just saying it's not necessarily a common event. Maybe you live/work somewhere with a lot of EM interference?

RainCloud 10y ago

"What is normality with Apple since long and apparently has been accepted by OSX users..." As far as I know, OS X asks for permission for diagnostic data collection on first boot and can be turned off anytime. Unlike Windows, on OS X the data collected is not stored encrypted and can be inspected. They are not equivalent.

givinguflac 10y ago
Seriously. People just irrationally hate on Apple no matter how far they'll go to trumpet user privacy from the rooftops. There is tons of objective evidence of Windows spying, yet no sources for this claim about macs. SMH.
boardwaalk 10y ago
Just having reinstalled Sierra yesterday, it does. It also asks you if you want to turn Siri on, and tells you everything Siri collects. It's also easy to turn off "Spotlight Suggestions". Whether that's actually everything, I don't personally know. It seemed like a unnecessary and out of place dig though.
izacus 10y ago
I have disabled diagnostic data collection, and LittleSnitch still finds at least 6 daemons constantly trying to do requests and send data to Apple servers. (And yes, I also dug through the settings and disabled things in a rather counter-intuitive Spotlight menu.)

ape4 10y ago

How much bandwidth does does all the "Telemetry" take?

rasz_pl 10y ago
That depends. Usually very little (single KB/s or less), but W10 is able to produce (write to disk) over 1GB/day of logs/traces/dumps that sits there and waits to be requested by the mothership.

makecheck 10y ago

It doesn’t really matter if off-switches exist, the problem is that the features are there to begin with. In any piece of code, a switch is a point of added complexity. For ANY such toggle: - The switch might not be saved correctly. - There can be a regression where the switch stops working in the future. - The switch, despite being “saved” correctly and displayed by a reassuring checkbox in a GUI panel, might not actually be CONSULTED in all the places it needs to be consulted (resulting in default-on, default-off or “whatever the developer of that component felt like” in various components across the system). - There can be a regression in any one of the components consulting the switch in the future, leading to an inconsistent combination of things that may or may not check for this setting over time. When they give over 100 options, I assume 50 of them don’t work and that they have no real incentive to make sure the other 50 keep working. About the only thing you can trust is a single on/off switch for the whole thing, while simultaneously checking a bunch of low-level things (regularly blocking unwanted hosts, logging network activity, etc.).

jaclaz 10y ago

Side note: The Author has invented a BSD 2-Clause license, making it a 2+1 non-BSD license, by adding: NON-MILITARY-USAGE CLAUSE Redistribution and use in source and binary form for military use and military research is not permitted. Infringement of these clauses may result in publishing the source code of the utilizing applications and libraries to the public. As this software is developed, tested and reviewed by international volunteers, this clause shall not be refused due to the matter of national security concerns.

compuguy 10y ago
This is disappointing, because some of us do work as contractors, or a civilian employees for military agencies. This is the same issue with Mosh (which uses a patented library with a restriction on military use).

LeoPanthera 10y ago

How does this compare to ShutUp10, which I've been using for months? https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10