Windows 10 snooping: Microsoft reveals what data it collects about you and why
The Windows 10 Creators Update introduces this new privacy settings screen.
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is shedding more light on the data that Windows 10 collects from users’ machines.
Ahead of next week’s rollout of the Creators Update, Microsoft is releasing more information on the diagnostic data it collects.
The additional transparency comes after Microsoft faced the threat of enforcement action from various European regulators over the “excessive” and somewhat opaque nature of the OS’ data collection.
Microsoft will for the first time release the complete list of the diagnostic data collected at the Basic level, the lowest level that can be set by Home and Pro users. The firm will also provide a detailed summary of the data collected at the Basic and Full level.
The volume of data collected at this Basic level has also been reduced by about half.
“One of our most important improvements in the Creators Update is a set of privacy enhancements that will be mostly behind the scenes,” said Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive VP of the Windows and Devices Group, in a blogpost .
The body representing EU privacy watchdogs, the Article 29 Working Party, users recently criticized Microsoft for the lack of clarity over the information Windows 10 collects.
“Microsoft should clearly explain what kinds of personal data are processed for what purposes. Without such information, consent cannot be informed, and therefore, not valid,” it said at the time . The group has not yet commented on whether this additional transparency addresses their concerns, but Microsoft said the changes were informed by the Article 29 Working Party’s concerns.
The Creators Update introduces a new privacy settings menu, designed to make it easier for users to choose what information they are comfortable being sent back to Microsoft. Users can toggle off the collection of various pieces of information, including location data when using maps, voice recordings when using the Cortana virtual assistant, or diagnostic information related to what they type and write, and the apps they use.
Every user will be presented with the menu when upgrading. However, these settings won’t be toggled off by default, but will rather reflect that user’s existing privacy settings.
For those installing Windows 10 on a new machine after the Creators Update, the settings will be toggled on by default, as part of Microsoft’s recommended settings for using Windows 10’s various internet-connected services, such as Cortana and OneDrive cloud storage.
Alongside these changes, Microsoft has also launched a web-based privacy dashboard , which lets Microsoft account holders check the data Microsoft has collected about their use of its various services, covering information related to location, search, browsing and Cortana.
Microsoft is also improving the in-product information about privacy and updating the Microsoft privacy statement to include more detail and reflect privacy changes in the Creators Update.