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This article mentions Windows 10 China Government Edition: Windows 10 China Government Edition that is designed to meet the country's security and privacy stan

by mkup 6y ago

This article mentions Windows 10 China Government Edition: Windows 10 China Government Edition that is designed to meet the country's security and privacy standards (Microsoft basically stripped out all of its spyware for this special version of Windows for the Chinese government, and we don't have access to a copy). Did anyone here heard more about it?

webmobdev 6y ago
Apparently it's an 'Enterprise' edition available only for the Chinese government - https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install-winpc/how-to-download-windows-10-china-government/b743f48f-4755-45bf-bcdf-c7cf6c719894 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10... It's funny that the Chinese, who have created a vast network of online and offline spywares, gets to have a Windows stripped of all spyware! Shows how much Microsofts cares about us ordinary users.
- zinekeller 6y ago
  > It's funny that the Chinese, who have created a vast network of online and offline spywares, gets to have a Windows stripped of all spyware! Shows how much Microsofts cares about us ordinary users. Your point is correct consumer-wise, but saying that only the Chinese Government benefits from this is misleading. It is certainly possible to disable every telemetry - if you use the enterprise version. (By the way, Windows 10 Home China is also like Windiws 10 Home - except that telemetry is stored domestically in China rather than transmitted to US.)
  - webmobdev 6y ago
    > but saying that only the Chinese Government benefits from this is misleading. No, the Chinese version has all the telemetry code removed. There's nothing to turn off, unlike in the Enterprise edition.
  - Scoundreller 6y ago
    > Windiws 10 Home I had to do a search to see if that was a knockoff or just your typo! (It's a typo)
  - djsumdog 6y ago
    So Microsoft still has full access to telemetry, they just have to generate the reports inside their China divisions?
    - webmobdev 6y ago
      Not for the Chinese government. Their Windows version has no telemetry code at all.
zinekeller 6y ago
That relevant quote is misleading to say the least and possibly sensational: the real reason such a modified version exists is to replace the cryptographic standards from US FIPS to Chinese-approved ones. Of course, they (like every company and government lucky enough to have access to Enterprise versions) can turn off that telemetry (there is no detail if it was indeed removed, but I wouldn't be shocked if it instead collects telemetry to be sent off to Chinese government-controlled servers).
- trm42 6y ago
  And we're talking about whole country which already censors and blocks internet traffic so the telemetry being sent to the US wouldn't be a real problem anyway except for saving internal bandwidth / firewall capacity.
  - netheril96 6y ago
    But Microsoft's servers are not on GFW's blocklist.

by mkup 6y ago

webmobdev 6y ago

Apparently it's an 'Enterprise' edition available only for the Chinese government - https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install-winpc/how-to-download-windows-10-china-government/b743f48f-4755-45bf-bcdf-c7cf6c719894 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10... It's funny that the Chinese, who have created a vast network of online and offline spywares, gets to have a Windows stripped of all spyware! Shows how much Microsofts cares about us ordinary users.

zinekeller 6y ago
> It's funny that the Chinese, who have created a vast network of online and offline spywares, gets to have a Windows stripped of all spyware! Shows how much Microsofts cares about us ordinary users. Your point is correct consumer-wise, but saying that only the Chinese Government benefits from this is misleading. It is certainly possible to disable every telemetry - if you use the enterprise version. (By the way, Windows 10 Home China is also like Windiws 10 Home - except that telemetry is stored domestically in China rather than transmitted to US.)
- webmobdev 6y ago
  > but saying that only the Chinese Government benefits from this is misleading. No, the Chinese version has all the telemetry code removed. There's nothing to turn off, unlike in the Enterprise edition.
- Scoundreller 6y ago
  > Windiws 10 Home I had to do a search to see if that was a knockoff or just your typo! (It's a typo)
- djsumdog 6y ago
  So Microsoft still has full access to telemetry, they just have to generate the reports inside their China divisions?
  - webmobdev 6y ago
    Not for the Chinese government. Their Windows version has no telemetry code at all.

zinekeller 6y ago

That relevant quote is misleading to say the least and possibly sensational: the real reason such a modified version exists is to replace the cryptographic standards from US FIPS to Chinese-approved ones. Of course, they (like every company and government lucky enough to have access to Enterprise versions) can turn off that telemetry (there is no detail if it was indeed removed, but I wouldn't be shocked if it instead collects telemetry to be sent off to Chinese government-controlled servers).

trm42 6y ago
And we're talking about whole country which already censors and blocks internet traffic so the telemetry being sent to the US wouldn't be a real problem anyway except for saving internal bandwidth / firewall capacity.
- netheril96 6y ago
  But Microsoft's servers are not on GFW's blocklist.