More than 14 million devices may be running Windows 10, but Microsoft is under fire for collecting users’ information.
The tech giant angered privacy watchdogs with an updated privacy statement saying it can access private emails, address books and other files.
Now, a report suggests the system will even send identifiable information to Microsoft if a user activates the software’s privacy protection settings and switches certain features off completely.
Microsoft, however, insists ‘no query or search usage data is sent to Microsoft, in accordance with the customer’s chosen privacy settings’.
A report suggests Windows 10 (home screen pictured) still sends identifiable information to Microsoft, even if a user activates the software’s privacy protection settings
Microsoft has previously said it does not collect data without users’ consent, but work by Ars Technica could be interpreted as contradicting the statement.
The technology website’s report seems to show that Windows 10 still contacts Microsoft even when certain internet-reliant features such as Bing and its Cortana personal assistant are are turned off.
While this is partly to test for an internet connection, OneDrive data seemed to be transmitted even when the feature is not active, said Ars Technica.
Data sent and requested from Microsoft to its OneDrive cloud storage service has a user ID attached,The Guardian reported.
The experts used a local login to Windows 10 rather than a Microsoft account and had every privacy protecting setting switched on.
‘Windows 10 seems to transmit information to the server even when OneDrive is disabled,’ Peter Bright writes.
There was outrage two weeks ago when Microsoft updated a privacy statement shortly after Windows 10 launched, saying it can collect users’ information from private emails, address books and other files (illustrated with a stock image)
‘…The exact nature of the information being sent isn’t clear – it appears to be referencing telemetry settings -and again, it’s not clear why any data is being sent at all. ‘
He noted that while some of the traffic looks harmless, it probably shouldn’t be happening.
For example, despite disabling live tiles on the system’s home page, the researchers still found Windows 10 downloaded information from its MSN news service.
While the request had no identifiable information in it, it was not encrypted.
A Microsoft spokesman told MailOnline: ‘As part of delivering Windows 10 as a service, updates may be delivered to provide ongoing new features to Bing search, such as new visual layouts, styles and search code.
‘No query or search usage data is sent to Microsoft, in accordance with the customer’s chosen privacy settings.
‘This also applies to searching offline for items such as apps, files and settings on the device.’
However, the test is likely to add to privacy watchdogs’ concerns that Windows 10 is ‘bad news for privacy’.
There was outrage when Microsoft updated a privacy statement shortly after Windows 10 launched, saying it can collect users’ information from private emails, address books and other files.
Within 45 pages of terms and conditions, the privacy information suggests Microsoft begins watching from when an account is created, saving customer’s basic information, passwords and credit card details, Newsweek reported.
The tech giant is also said to save Bing search queries and conversations with Cortana, as well as lists of which websites and apps users visit and the contents of private emails and files, as well as their handwriting.
The privacy statement said ‘your typed and handwritten words are collected’.
The policy adds that Microsoft collects information about a user’s speech and handwriting to ‘help improve and personalise our ability to correctly recognise your input,’ while information from their contacts book is used, such as names and calendar events ‘to better recognise people and events when you dictate messages or documents’.
Cortana, for example, makes use of information about who a user calls on their phone, plus data from their emails and texts, calendar and contacts, as well as their web history and location.
Microsoft says that data is collected to provide users with a more personalised service and better character recognition, for example, but may also be used for targeted adverting, meaning it may share information with third parties.
Source: Mail Online