Microsoft New Year Sun Win10 score: suspected infringement of customer privacy

Computer store news: It is reported that the data released in the CEV vulnerability database recently showed that the number of vulnerabilities on Win10 is much less than that of Win7 and Win8.1 before. 53. This data also shows that Windows 10 is more focused on privacy protection than previous versions, but it is not too long, Microsoft has been pushed to the forefront because of privacy issues.

Perhaps in order to give these partners more confidence in future cooperation, Microsoft chose to release a series of data on Windows 10 before the opening of CES, including the installed capacity of Windows10 in the global market, Windows10 The popularity rate, the activation rate of Windows 10 devices, and so on. In addition, Microsoft specifically mentioned the following data:

• In December 2015, global users used Windows 10 for 11 billion hours, and global users used Microsoft Edge for 445. Billion minutes, Windows 10 built-in photo application, the total amount of photo storage reached 82 billion;

• gamers play PC games on Windows 10 for 4 billion hours, XboxOne games streamed to Windows10 The device has a duration of 6.6 million hours;

For Microsoft, these numbers are a meaningful milestone. But many users don't think so. They don't know how Microsoft collects the data. They even question whether Microsoft is monitoring user usage through certain means. The intention of this approach is that users don't know. In the end, under the catalysis of many media reports, these ideas of users have begun to point to the same problem, that is, Windows 10 protects user privacy.

The situation is not what users think, Microsoft has already given users a "prevention" in this matter.

As early as September 2015, Terry Myerson, the director of Microsoft's Windows and Devices division, published an article on the Windows blog to explain the security and privacy of Windows 10 users. A relevant explanation has been made. He said in the article:

Microsoft will collect limited data to provide users with a better secure and reliable experience. The data includes the device ID, device model, data generated by the application crash, etc., but the user's personal data is not within this range. In fact, Microsoft has also added a mechanism to avoid identifying personal information of users during the process of collecting data. The user's real name, email address, and Microsoft account ID will not be revealed.

The data mentioned in the previous article is actually feedback from Windows 10 to Microsoft through telemetry. But as a user, you need to understand that Microsoft collects these telemetry data not for individuals. Generally speaking, Microsoft will not be so boring, there is nothing to look at what a user did with Windows 10 today, which application was installed, whether to abandon Edge and set Chrome as the default browser, etc., Microsoft will not To monitor user usage behavior.

Microsoft's intent to collect these telemetry data is simple, to improve Windows 10. Suppose now that 1000 users are using Windows 10, and 30% of them have tried the new start menu built into Windows 10, but they are no longer used. Microsoft needs to understand why this happens. This data can be given to Microsoft. Provide the basis or support for the next decision. Or 10% of users, can not install a hardware driver on Windows10, the data indicates that Microsoft needs to contact the hardware developers to repair the relevant hardware drivers.

Of course, Microsoft is very clear, even if the user is explained clearly how to collect the data, the intention to collect the data, the user's concerns may not be completely eliminated. In order to better solve this problem, Microsoft added an option in Windows 10's feedback setting (Feedbacksetting), allowing users to determine whether to allow the collection of telemetry data through Basic, Enhance, and Full.

Select Basic, Windows 10 will only report the basic telemetry data such as system error and application crash to Microsoft; select Enhance, Windows10 will feedback the basic telemetry data, and also feedback what application and application usage the user has installed. Telemetry data; Full is the default setting, and the feedback telemetry data covers a wider range, including applications, hardware drivers, user usage, and so on.

If you are still worried about privacy issues with Windows 10, you can set this option as needed. However, this option is slightly hidden. If it were not for this incident, many users may not notice it.