Windows 10 telemetry secrets: Where, when, and why Microsoft collects

[Brink]

How does Windows 10 telemetry really work? It's not a state secret. I've gone through the documentation and sorted out the where, when, and why. If you're concerned about private documents accidentally leaving your network, you might want to turn the telemetry setting down.

Telemetry is not a four-letter word.

You wouldn't know that to listen to the relentless hammering of the technology by Windows 10 critics, who see it as a form of "spying" on the part of Microsoft. Unfortunately, many of those critics have used unreliable data , compounded by a misunderstanding of the basic technology, to form their opinions.

In this article, I want to take a closer look at the way that telemetry works and the data it collects. This article relies primarily on my own testing, using a number of Microsoft-provided tools as well as third-party utilities.

My research also included discussions with engineers as well as reviews of some thorough but obscure documentation. The most useful resource I found is a detailed technical paper written for IT pros and published in the TechNet Library: Configure telemetry and other settings in your organization...

Read more: Windows 10 telemetry secrets: Where, when, and why Microsoft collects your data | ZDNet

 

[Layback Bear]

Thanks Shawn.

What I don't see is what the default setting are. Where most users of Non Enterprise will be at. Can non Enterprise users make Enhanced or Basic choices?
Is their a choice just to say no to all the telemetry?
I do believe that Microsoft is trying very hard to make the telemetry as secure as possible but a opt out completely choice would be nice.

 

[Painter]

W10 Enterprise users can turn most of the data collection off, whereas non-enterprise users can only turn some of it off. On W7, enterprise users out-number other users approximately 8-1, so when they migrate over to W10, the user base will then become the equivalent 8-1 split.

Therefore by 2020, if the policy on privacy does not change, around 10% of the user base will provide the bulk of the data used to secure, improve and make W10 a more enjoyable experience. No solicitation allowed on business property may be part of the reason.

 

[mjf]

I do believe that Microsoft is trying very hard to make the telemetry as secure as possible but a opt out completely choice would be nice.

Some could view this activity as malware/spyware. When forced on you it is at least an invasion of privacy.
The Enterprise user (SME + big business) wouldn't tolerate it and apparently don't have to.

 

[Layback Bear]

Painter where did you get the 8 to 1?
Eight Enterprise users to every one non Enterprise user.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Smoke Screen

The solution to the Telemetry issue isn't an "off" switch.

If MS was really concerned about user privacy, the Telemetry system would have been a separate download that users could install if they wanted to participate.
MS could have offered any sweeteners they wanted (e.g. free copies of the Enterprise version of Office).

The problem is that Telemetry is being used as a smoke screen.

With W8, it was used to justify the claim that "no one" used the W7 Start Menu, so MS "had" to introduce the Metro screen.
In reality, MS was already going to bolt a phone UI onto Windows and the so-called Telemetry data was used as cover for that decision.

With W10, MS has managed to get everyone arguing about Telemetry and that has successfully distracted everyone from asking what all of the other network data is.
Windows 10 and telemetry: Time for a simple network analysis | ZDNet

 

[FerchogtX]

Well, why it was so hard for Microsoft to tell what they were collecting and how? This is comprehensive.

Now the part that still worries me, how will they ensure data like passwords (stated in the EULA) and other stuff will be out of hackers reach? And the most important, from negligent workers inside the company? (There can be, any company has this kind of issues)

Not that I'm totaly against cloud stuff, I mean, I use Mozilla's Sync to keep my settings across my PC's, I support the use of telemetry in Firefox (if you wanna) because I know what they collect and what for, I use Onedrive to store some documents I need cross-plattform.

Until Microsoft can guarantee the data they collect is totally secure, I'm still disabling telemetry, WU, and Defender. Sorry M$...

 

[ThrashZone]

Did Firefox give you a 100% guarantee

 

[Layback Bear]

Their is no 100% guarantee's with anything.
The only thing I can do, is be watchful and choose what I want to do.
In my opinion most users don't do those things. They just boot and except what ever.
Don't know and don't care, just poke and go.

 

[ThrashZone]

I used to have a poke and go thing going
Now it's poke and sleep

 

[Layback Bear]

Poke, smoke and then sleep.

 

[FerchogtX]

Well... as Lady says, there is no 100% guarantee on anything, but you can trust someone that starts telling you the truth, that they collect data (if you let them) and why they collect it.

When someone tells you they collect some kind of data, but you find there are backdoors, there's when you can feel there is no guarantee... At least Mozilla didn't lie to me...

 

[Golden]

When someone tells you they collect some kind of data, but you find there are backdoors, there's when you can feel there is no guarantee... At least Mozilla didn't lie to me...

What are you bleating on about?

 

[FerchogtX]

When someone tells you they collect some kind of data, but you find there are backdoors, there's when you can feel there is no guarantee... At least Mozilla didn't lie to me...

What are you bleating on about?

What I'm trying to say is that, since the beggining, Mozilla stated they use telemetry, and you can enable that or not, without "secret" phonings to home. By the other hand, since beta states, M$ said telemetry was only for beta testing and data collecting so they could fix issues within the OS, then, "final" release was out, and telemetry was still there, with shady moves and changes to the EULA on the fly. Everytime M$ was questoned about what data they were collecting and what for, just evasions were the answer, funny thing, the EULA clearly say what they collect, but they just hid under the water, until now, add to that that, even disabling telemetry, W10 still phoned home.

Now, this article explains WHY the OS still phones home, what exactly are the settings for telemetry and such, which is a good step forwards. Now let's hope that data is kept in good hands, and that probably, probably, they will return features like disabling WU without having to mess with services...

That's it, not that I'm complaining, in fact, I feel this is a good step forwards for them... I hope.

 

[Alejandro85]

There is another big difference between Firefox and Windows: Firefox is open source.

That means, its inner workings, incluiding the bundled telemetry can be analyzed by anyone with enough knowledge, disecting what exactly is being sent, where and when, in addition to knowing what the settings really do. Moreover, anyone can fork Firefox and create a version with no telemetry at all if you really want to. With Windows bundled spyware, you can only blindly trust Microsoft words or reject Windows 10 entirely.

There is another thing to worry about, not specific to Windows 10 but to all data collection, secret or not. What happens to the data once in their servers? Even if we suppose that the company is entirely trustful and really uses it only to improve its software (which MS obviously does not) things can still go bad. Hackers might break into their servers at any time, or a rogue employee could steal it, revealing that private data for whatever purpose he might have. A small chance, but still possible.

While in-transit, data is also vulnerable to being captured. An example of this is the Windows 7 (not 10!) WER service, that sends potentially confidential data over plain HTTP instead of HTTPS, so anyone can quite easily see it all. That's why that's service is a known NSA backdoor. Who knows if the Win10 keylogger (or any other telemetry) uses the same irresponsible transmission technique?
To be fair, the WER vulnerability was addresed in Windows 8 and it nows phones home though an encrypted protocol, so Windows 10 may have done so too.

 

[Layback Bear]

Alejandro85 you have made some very good points in my opinion.
The key words in your post to me is (who knows). We don't know for sure about anything except what Microsoft tells us.
I do believe that Microsoft will try not to misuse our information but (who knows for sure)?
Who know who will buy the information?
Who know who will steal the information?

Once my computers hit the internet their are a bunch of (who knows) that I only have some control over. I do have control over W-10 until it is fixed. Don't use it is my method of control.
The fact that W-10 is new and free has captured many. Me, I'm in no hurry.

 

[lehnerus2000]

There is another thing to worry about, not specific to Windows 10 but to all data collection, secret or not. What happens to the data once in their servers? Even if we suppose that the company is entirely trustful and really uses it only to improve its software (which MS obviously does not) things can still go bad. Hackers might break into their servers at any time, or a rogue employee could steal it, revealing that private data for whatever purpose he might have. A small chance, but still possible.

I read an article a few weeks ago that claimed that less than half of all data breaches were caused by external hacking.