Original title: Microsoft is installing SPYWARE thru Windows Updates? Windows updates installed something called "Diagnostics Tracking Service" in my Windows 8.1 Pro. Take a look at THIS website. http://thepcwhisperer.blogspot.in/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-built.html It says what this service does in Windows 10 TP. Data We Collect When you acquire, install and use the Program, Microsoft collects information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data ; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage. For example, when you: install the Program, we may collect information about your device and applications and use it for purposes such as determining or improving compatibility, use voice input features like speech-to-text, we may collect voice information and use it for purposes such as improving speech processing, open a file, we may collect information about the file, the application used to open the file, and how long it takes and use it for purposes such as improving performance, or enter text, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving auto complete and spell check features. While this might make some sense in a TP (although I consider collecting so much personal information as email addresses and keystrokes to be extreme), it makes no sense in a released Windows version. It's not like I have downloaded it myself from their website as a loving gesture and I want to share whatever I do in my personal life with Microsoft. They slipped it in as an "update" to Windows 8.1 This is definitely spyware behavior in some sense. It's collecting too much personal data. I don't want to share ANYTHING with Microsoft. I have NOT turned on the customer improvement program thing in Windows. WHY IS MICROSOFT DOING THIS? WHICH KB DO I NEED TO UNINSTALL AND BLOCK IN ORDER TO GET RID OF THIS? WHY IS MY ANTIVIRUS NOT REMOVING THIS? HAS MS PAID THE ANTIVIRUS VENDORS? SHOULD I DISABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES? I'M LOSING TRUST ON MICROSOFT. THEY CAN INSTALL SPYWARE ANY MOMENT, I CANNOT INDIVIDUALLY CHECK THE KB ARTICLE ON EVERY UPDATE JUST TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'LL SEND PERSONAL INFORMATION BACK TO MS. I'm really upset about this. :(

@Serious Eagle @Techie007l @searren Can we get back on topic.

Ok ! no problem. But why was he not informed first, I would have then not replied to his posting then. Seems to me, The moderators have something against me (Just an observation). Regards.

You were all informed at the same time because that is when I saw it. I deleted the posts of all 3 that were not related to the thread. I have nothing against any of you. You might want to read the Code of Conduct (at the bottom of every page)

It doesn't matter if you remove the tracking service: Microsoft has other means of keeping track of what you do, type and say: http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/ But if you think about it, there's just no way a company like Microsoft is going to give away an operating system for nothing. After all, at $50 per license we're talking about serious money here if you consider that in the first three days alone after W10 was released, 67 million users downloaded it. The catch is in the lucrative deals Microsoft has made with the advertising industry and users can expect to see ads appearing on their systems linked to whatever they're doing with their systems at a given moment. There's already evidence of that as can be seen from this Twitter post: https://twitter.com/GazTheJourno/status/626736454610366465 Similarly, how you use the computer, what you search for, how you interact with Cortana is recorded and relayed to Microsoft to be analyzed and passed on to the advertising industry which will pay handsomely for it I'm sure. But even the advertising industry will want to see data pertaining to the size of the market they're being asked to consider investing in. So what better way to grab your audience than to give Windows 10 away for free? Once installed and once the rollback period of 28 days has passed by, you have a captive audience. But Microsoft is no different than Google in many respects. You cannot use an Android phone - other than just to make phone calls - unless you're prepared to sync all your private data to Google's servers. Same goes for social networking sites like Facebook. How many billions do they make annually from advertising eh? Why should we expect Microsoft to be any different? Welcome to the future.

What is Diagnostics Tracking Service which was installed from Windows Updates?

Anonymous

Original title: Microsoft is installing SPYWARE thru Windows Updates?

Windows updates installed something called "Diagnostics Tracking Service" in my Windows 8.1 Pro.

Take a look at THIS website.

http://thepcwhisperer.blogspot.in/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-built.html

It says what this service does in Windows 10 TP.

Data We Collect

When you acquire, install and use the Program, Microsoft collects information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage. For example, when you:

install the Program, we may collect information about your device and applications and use it for purposes such as determining or improving compatibility,
use voice input features like speech-to-text, we may collect voice information and use it for purposes such as improving speech processing,
open a file, we may collect information about the file, the application used to open the file, and how long it takes and use it for purposes such as improving performance, or
enter text, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving auto complete and spell check features.

While this might make some sense in a TP (although I consider collecting so much personal information as email addresses and keystrokes to be extreme), it makes no sense in a released Windows version.

It's not like I have downloaded it myself from their website as a loving gesture and I want to share whatever I do in my personal life with Microsoft. They slipped it in as an "update" to Windows 8.1

This is definitely spyware behavior in some sense. It's collecting too much personal data.

I don't want to share ANYTHING with Microsoft. I have NOT turned on the customer improvement program thing in Windows.

WHY IS MICROSOFT DOING THIS?

WHICH KB DO I NEED TO UNINSTALL AND BLOCK IN ORDER TO GET RID OF THIS?

WHY IS MY ANTIVIRUS NOT REMOVING THIS? HAS MS PAID THE ANTIVIRUS VENDORS?

SHOULD I DISABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES? I'M LOSING TRUST ON MICROSOFT. THEY CAN INSTALL SPYWARE ANY MOMENT, I CANNOT INDIVIDUALLY CHECK THE KB ARTICLE ON EVERY UPDATE JUST TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'LL SEND PERSONAL INFORMATION BACK TO MS.

I'm really upset about this. :(

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Anonymous

2015-08-15T11:32:29+00:00

@Serious Eagle @Techie007l @searren

Can we get back on topic.
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Anonymous

2015-08-15T13:14:03+00:00

Ok ! no problem.

But why was he not informed first, I would have then not replied to his posting then.

Seems to me, The moderators have something against me (Just an observation).

Regards.
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Anonymous

2015-08-15T13:28:27+00:00

You were all informed at the same time because that is when I saw it. I deleted the posts of all 3 that were not related to the thread. I have nothing against any of you.

You might want to read the Code of Conduct (at the bottom of every page)
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Anonymous

2015-08-15T13:50:25+00:00

It doesn't matter if you remove the tracking service: Microsoft has other means of keeping track of what you do, type and say: http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/

But if you think about it, there's just no way a company like Microsoft is going to give away an operating system for nothing. After all, at $50 per license we're talking about serious money here if you consider that in the first three days alone after W10 was released, 67 million users downloaded it.

The catch is in the lucrative deals Microsoft has made with the advertising industry and users can expect to see ads appearing on their systems linked to whatever they're doing with their systems at a given moment. There's already evidence of that as can be seen from this Twitter post: https://twitter.com/GazTheJourno/status/626736454610366465

Similarly, how you use the computer, what you search for, how you interact with Cortana is recorded and relayed to Microsoft to be analyzed and passed on to the advertising industry which will pay handsomely for it I'm sure.

But even the advertising industry will want to see data pertaining to the size of the market they're being asked to consider investing in. So what better way to grab your audience than to give Windows 10 away for free?

Once installed and once the rollback period of 28 days has passed by, you have a captive audience.

But Microsoft is no different than Google in many respects. You cannot use an Android phone - other than just to make phone calls - unless you're prepared to sync all your private data to Google's servers.

Same goes for social networking sites like Facebook. How many billions do they make annually from advertising eh? Why should we expect Microsoft to be any different?

Welcome to the future.
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