{"id":3952,"date":"2015-08-06T04:37:46","date_gmt":"2015-08-05T20:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.darknet.org.uk\/?p=3952"},"modified":"2015-09-09T19:36:34","modified_gmt":"2015-09-09T11:36:34","slug":"windows-10-privacy-just-installed-read-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.darknet.org.uk\/2015\/08\/windows-10-privacy-just-installed-read-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows 10 Privacy – Just Installed? Read This"},"content":{"rendered":"

So no big surprise here but there’s some issues with the default settings in regards to Windows 10 Privacy, if you run through the express install without customizing settings the defaults a little suspect.<\/p>\n

\"Windows<\/p>\n

A lot of Windows 7 and Windows 8 users have already opted in to the automatic (and free) upgrade to the latest operating system from Microsoft – Windows 10, so I would imagine this effects a lot of people.<\/p>\n

Here’s a quick FYI: if you installed Windows 10, and in a rush to try out Microsoft’s new operating system, you clicked through the default settings without looking, you may want to look again.<\/p>\n

If you value your privacy, or have a distrust of Microsoft, you probably want to make sure some or all of the settings are flipped to off. These include things like sending “typing and inking” data to Microsoft’s servers, and letting apps identify you by your unique advertising ID number.<\/p>\n

Your physical whereabouts and your web browser history, plus your contacts and calendar records, are also phoned home to Redmond. Your PC will even let other computers download updates from it, and potentially share your Wi-Fi network with strangers.<\/p>\n

There’s a handy guide to the settings you need to look out for during the install and afterwards. On an installed system, find the Settings app and select Privacy to see all the controls.<\/p>\n

You probably want to turn Cortana off, unless you find it really useful, and don’t forget to opt-out of personalized ads (more info here).<\/p>\n

Some of the features, which are on by default, have their uses: for example, SmartScreen is supposed to stop you from downloading malware or visiting websites known to be infecting PCs, assuming you’re using Internet Explorer and apps from the Windows Store. And sending odd-looking executable files to Windows Defender so they can be scanned for malware improves security for everyone using Windows 10.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n