There has been talk for some time about Microsoft's surveillance through its new Windows 10 operating system, which comes with all its spying settings enabled by default. But the company seems to have a different view, according to a blog post.
Windows development chief Terry Myerson says Windows 10 was designed “with two simple privacy principles in mind.” Collecting information that can help the company make the product better and giving users control over what they share.
But is that so?
Myerson admitted that some of the information collected from users' computers includes anonymous device IDs, device type, and hardware failure data, which the company can use to improve the operating system and the software running on it.
Myerson explained that no private content is sent to Microsoft, such as information including name, email address, and account numbers. He also stated that all information is encrypted “in transit to our servers and then stored in secure facilities” so that no one at Microsoft can access it.
“We used data from Insider devices to confirm that there was an issue, and then released the fix to the general public via an update the very next day. The data helped us find, identify, and resolve a significant issue within 48 hours.”
Myerson continued by saying that personal information is collected if Cortana is used, but only as necessary, because "we aspire to provide a pleasant and personalized Windows experience.".
He added once again that the end user can control what data is collected. What he didn't mention is what personal information is collected.
Finally, he stated that the company does not scan emails to deliver targeted ads “unlike some other platforms,” (a clear reference to Google as the company is known to scan Gmail content to serve targeted ads).
Mr. Terry Myerson, of course, backed his house, so that it wouldn't fall to the ground. With every report of a data-collecting feature, he had the appropriate justification, which, however, does not negate the fact of tracking users of the new operating system.
Regarding the Gmail example, the tactic of comparing a product to something worse is well-known as it gives a bonus.
Overall, the new publication seems to aim to reassure Windows 10 users, stating that their data is completely safe.
Of course Myerson failed to answer a very big question: why does Windows 10 continue to communicate with Microsoft, even if the owner disables all tracking and data collection services?
