HP is the latest big name to be linked to recent spying allegations, as the company installed spyware on customers' computers through a driver update that can collect data without their consent.
Although these claims have not been confirmed, a report from CW reveals that HP has replaced the Touchpoint Manager software with a new driver called HP Touchpoint Analytics Service.
The driver update was sent to users via the built-in Windows Update and was automatically deployed to Windows computers, apparently without asking for consent.
The problem with HP's new software is that it slows down computers and collects data that is silently sent to the parent company, although it is clear that permission from the user is required before data collection begins.
HP itself confirms that HP Touchpoint Manager is no longer shipped as a standalone program, but without mentioning the privacy policy or whether user consent should be required.
There are users who complain about significant slowdowns after installing the driver update, possibly due to the service running in the background to collect data and send information to HP.
"My computer is running so slowly that I can hear it dying, and the light on the back of the device is blinking rapidly after starting up. In Task Manager, I notice that many applications are starting and stopping on their own without my consent," said a user facing this problem.
Neither HR nor Microsoft have commented on the matter so far. However, we will receive their response soon.
