Indeed, and the bottom line is Microsoft controls the hosts file, you can't trust it to block anything, not really. Although, one could make the argument the hosts file isn't even intended to do that. You must use a 3rd-party utility or firewall capable of blocking host names (at least for Microsoft domains) if you want to take the control back. You have to be careful with your hardware firewall, too, because they don't always resolve the IPs quick enough, and connections could slip through. Even IP address blocking is unreliable because they change often, and you can't always find every IP they use or will use in the future. Oh, and what if you use something like TinyWall and only allow trusted programs in the firewall? Think you're in the clear? They only need the Service Host (svchost.exe) whitelisted to connect (I've seen connections to Microsoft on port 80 even when restricting svchost access to port 53). What happens if you blacklist it? You can't use the internet. Cheers.
The first bit is actually a stereotype from the past that seem to persist. - 'Linux' has many different distros one can choose. - When you've started to become familiar with windows you spent countless of hours to get the basics, hence one is still attracted to it. To switch to a Linux distro requires the same efforts again, before you can go on with daily usage. Extra efforts seem to be unavoidable to get rid of them privacy issues either way. Either one gets familiar with 'educating' windows and applies anti spy measures there or one becomes familiar with a Linux distro. Your choice. (assuming that you don't want to stop to go online completely, lol) You have still time since you can use w7, but why not start now with a change? - From the aspect of tech UNIX based OSes are and were ever more effective (performance/size of apps) - Distros are more customizable due to their modular system - Nowadays apps are running which did not before - Installation and handling has become comfortable, drivers for most used devices are available - Nowadays professional alternatives are available to replace windows apps with the same performance - One can still dual boot of needed. The windows sys partition never need to go online itself - Often there are friends around which are already familiar with a Linux distro. Spend 2 or 3 nice evenings with them learning the basics and how to install it to your needs and the first step is done. Consider what is most work you do on a PC and choose the distro for your needs. I have decided to go that way. I am already familiar with it. One just needs to get comfortable with it, it is the same with anything new, nothing special. What about Linux mint cinnamon? Some words to vladimar and his appearances here, lol. The privacy issues that came with w10 are vividly discussed with friends. One started to use Linux mint. People became curious and SAW that it is quite usable and BETTER as ever thought. They stayed. Friends have other friends and the idea spreads by living it. This is what you've called a weak idea making people aware what's going on with M$ and how to prevent that! Reconsider it maybe. It's better than only to paint the town red by your posts.
While there will always be multiple points of view on this, the one single fact remains: the EULA terms are right there, literally in black and white, just like the privacy terms are - if you don't agree with them then don't use Windows 10. Make it more complicated if you want, which is exactly what many people are doing, but in the long run that one single fact can't really be dismissed for any reason. I know it's crappy thing Microsoft is doing, and I know that 99% of the people using Windows 10 (ok, 98%) will never actually read the EULA or the privacy terms at all let alone care about them, but that's just how it goes. For the 2% of us that do or did read it and have known about these "issues" for months now this is nothing new, we all knew this was coming, we all know it's upon us, so, use it or don't use it and that's about as far as it'll go. Personally, I have upgraded and installed two Dell laptops to Windows 10 to lock in the potential for installing it cleanly but it was wiped and is not in use nor do I plan to use it ever - I'll be using Windows 7 (with all the diagnostic tracking stuff now removed) for many years to come and when that one doesn't work anymore then I suppose some Linux distro will take its place, I can't say for sure just yet.
Your bold words actually say anything that is needed. But to make an agreement or not one needs to be aware of the consequences. I mean M$ gives nothing away for free, they never had. To make an agreement or not people need to debate what one gives away when installing it. Relations are not simple. And no I did not know what to expect with w10. I assumed that it'll become worse in this regard as always when a new OS comes out. But I expected that they remove some spy stuff from their previous test versions...
What Microsoft is doing is well known as I stated and has been for months, it's part of the EULA and the privacy agreements which haven't really changed from even as far back as the 1st Insider preview. They've never really changed anything since that came out and they've been pushing this "agenda" for a long time now. It's free of monetary cost if you take advantage of the "free" upgrade but that doesn't mean there's no cost of another kind associated with it. They haven't really hidden anything (ironic, eh?) about what they had planned with Windows 10 and they're doing it so, if you're interested in agreeing with it, again, don't use Windows 10. In the other thread that Michaela created about this privacy thing she ended the post by saying: and the moment I read it I wanted to post back: Nothing, absolutely nothing can be changed. It's like sweeping a dirt floor at this point and it will get no one anywhere with Microsoft. It's their product, not ours, regardless of whether you take advantage of the free upgrade or you go someplace and pay cash for it - it's not our product, it doesn't belong to us, therefore they can and will do whatever the hell they want with it.
Jean, you are right. The Eula hasn't really much changed, but the amount of personal data they collect does. And that is the point. Most people do not really care about since the annoying EULA appeared already at previous windows versions. So most blindly agree, even though things become worse. This knows M$ as well, so they have no resistance and can go further and further.... They can do what they want it is their OS, but they have capitalistic goals. A bad market share because of people who say no would make them to rethink about the EULA. It's the only way to have an influence at all.
Open Task Scheduler > Microsoft > Windows and then delete as noted: Everything under "Application Experience" Everything under "Autochk" Everything under "Customer Experience Improvement Program" Under "Disk Diagnostic" only the "Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticDataCollector" Under "Maintenance" "WinSAT" "Media Center" and click the "status" column, then select all non-disabled entries and disable them. Basically anything that has CEIP in the name or description is something that will communicate with Microsoft so, my recommendation is to DELETE the task(s) and not just disable them. Since there is zero reason to keep them around if you're not participating in the CEIP, then delete the tasks, simple.
We've had this argument before, but basically a EULA agreement is not law in any way. They can put in the eula that they'd harvest your organs, it doesn't mean that they can, legally. Eula are for potential lawsuits only. They do not circumvent or add any law of their own.
The point being: it's their product, not ours, and if you install it you've agreed to the terms of the EULA, period. No sense complaining after the fact if you continue to use the product once you discover this - and people should but they don't care to read such things anymore, it's becoming a tl;dr society sadly. The only way to send a real message to Microsoft isn't using their Feedback tool, or email, or phone calls, or chatting with them, or complaining about them or their products or their policies. Just stop using their products, period, and that'll send a message pretty loud and clear even though it's completely silent.
The primary purpose to detect and to make it public about their technical measures is not to try to fix them it would be a virtual Valium, although it cannot make things worse per se. (It is the use of the OS.) The purpose to make the tech details public is awareness of the details that people can have a valid and obvious objection to disagree with the Eula.
I think this is only the tip of the iceberg in that I don't believe Microsofts current spying is any different to the global push from numerous companies to do the same. Sure people can point to those who profit from this (that to me is just a ruse to get those in the money hooked) but I think its setting a global trend for the future, that privacy is not something we should expect. This is what frightens me most. Once everyone accepts there is no such thing as privacy (which sadly already many many share this view) and they may indeed be right, I shudder imagining a future where EVERYTHING you do is recorded. Right now with our current freedoms many could say "who cares?" But if you look at the current climate of say political correctness, as an example, of what you should or shouldn't say and there are processes in place that record what you DO say, ALL the time, and there are "penalties" for such speak, I see a future world control grid of orwellian proportions. Of coarse right now it all seems like tin-foil hat wearing conspriacy nonscence. But dictatorships are not conspiracy theories. They have existed in the past, and they exist today. Many would think that only happens elsewhere and would never happen in MY country. What makes me think hrmm hang on a minute is the simple fact this is not say a Russian trend, or a Chinese trend here, but a GLOBAL trend. I fear we are being set up for control without even realizing it. Who doesn't love their shinny new device? Whether that be a phone, a tablet, or a personal computer to name a few. We now carry our own tracking devices for .....? Well right now, no one I guess. But it sets up an awfully scarry picture of the future imho.
It is a trend of humankind, strengthened by monopolies. It is based on a wrong imagination of oneself. The root of this resides in every ego. One can detect this in oneself...when you are happy to have more than another one you are suffering from the same disease already. The problem is the increasing imbalance of power that sooner or later will create new forms of suffer.
@Dolorous_Edd: It would not be realistic to ask everybody to stop using the Internet or all forms of communication. Many would do it just to spite the powers that be. (Myself included) This mess needs to be attacked on two fronts: First, we need to asses the damage, as far as our electronic equipment goes.What's been done, and what can we do to undo it. To be honest, the cracking / hacking community comes to mind here. If you can break encryption algorithms, and / or go through literally millions of lines of code to find a product key or defeat "phoning home", you're the person for the job. You can literally help protect the world. The next front is to get the truth out there. We need to get more activists geared up and let the people know what's going on. The problem is, there's a right way and there's a wrong way. You can not force anybody to accept the truth, or your perception of the truth. All you can do is present the facts as clearly as possible. They have to make that determination themselves. The US government has created this monstrosity for the sake of control. The spying mechanism needs to be completely revamped, so that it conforms to constitutional law. And people in other countries of the world need to stand up and say "no. I won't accept this" It is easy to instil hopelessness in a group of people. It's not so easy to instil hope. But I see hope here. I see people from all walks of life. From around the world. Discussing the issues. realizing that we have a common enemy. And actually working together. In my life, I never thought I'd see the day that people from so many diverse cultures and different ideals would join together and help each other. It makes me proud to be a Human. A couple of members here have said thank you to Me for starting this thread. I will say this from my heart: It is I who thank you. Thank you for getting involved, for speaking your mind, for not tearing each other apart. (Ok...go ahead. Somebody say something like "OH Lets all hold hands and sing KUM-BAY-YA!" ) Anyhoo. I wanted to clear up a point about the EULA. From a developers standpoint, It's an important mechanism to protect the intellectual rights of the developers of the product being used. As a retired engineer, I understand this fact, and I agree that it is critically important. But it's not the content of that document (the EULA) which concerns Me. It's the Privacy agreement that's been tacked onto the EULA.That's the monster under the bed. And you can't have one without the other. You're forced to accept both. This is the focus of My concern. And that document is the tip of the iceberg. I've said this before. I'll say it again. Microsoft is an industry leader. What they do has been and will be emulated by -any- corporation that wants to achieve that level of success. Myself and many others are noticing a sinister trend here. There's a hand above them, manipulating the outcome. That "hand" is our respective governments. And I'm ashamed to say that the US is the initiator of this mess. Now, don't get Me wrong. I love My country. I'd like to see the USA come back and be a shining example of a democratic society.I want to see the USA become the land of Milk and Honey again. Now, some of you may say "Never gonna' happen". I dunno. I never thought that, in my lifetime, I'd get to see people from around the world getting together and discussing a plan to try to mend fences and fix the world. Hope truly does spring eternal. Peace... :MJ P.S.: Listen to this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RojVtG9OgJE It's a great post Rock song. But listen to it from 3:45. What He screams is the actual truth here. Be prepared.
@Murphy78: Actually, they do. They create law without legislation, which is very dangerous. You might want to read this article from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/wp/dangerous-terms-users-guide-eulas
The EULA says nothing about having to make it easy for them to invade your privacy, or even possible at all.
@slope_45: I have said in many opinion posts about Windows 10 that we need to take a "Wait and see" attitude towards it. I still stand by my opinion. I too use Windows 7 for everyday use. There are things that I can not do on a Linux machine. And in reality, I can't abandon Windows 7. With that said, I think it's time to completely disable updates on Windows 7. I'd like to see that too. It would help Me to sleep better. I don't believe that at all. just knowing that the problem exists allows users to make informed decisions about the products they choose. We may not be able to fix Windows 10, but We can avoid the pitfalls and apply them to previous operatng systems. I believe that setting up two seperate environments, one for every day tasks that can only be accomplished by Windows, and one for tasks that are best accomplished by Linux, is the only way to stay safe. Not at all. This is the perfect place for your questions. :MJ P.S. Welcome to MDL.
The hands of ISPs are bound by local laws. They can collect data, but they aren't allowed to read it or share it at all, only when law enforcement obligate them. If they did it, they would face legal consequences. On the other hand Microsoft can do whatever they want, as most users aren't even in the same country. No one even knows what laws apply, and there is no way to enforce them even if laws exist. Once again, the logic is flawed here. Your email provider etc. also cannot get out of your browser and access your private files, cannot monitor your keyboard and microphone.
The EULA is only one part of the problem. The Privacy agreement is the other part of the problem. And that's what this thread is focusing on. Yes, the EULA is dangerous because it allows the software maker to make laws without legislation (see: https://www.eff.org/wp/dangerous-terms-users-guide-eulas ) It also enables the privacy agreement to be attached as a rider to the EULA. If you accept one, you have to accept the other. Not to mention, it allows them to add code in updates that may not serve the best purpose for the user.
Only read a few of these posts then got bored with the relentless ranting.. Well, I have relented to the MS enterprise steamroller for business purposes... Albeit trying my best to convert SBE's to switch to Linux...it's really not that simple. Thus, those of us that are realistic need too fight from the inside. The radicals will obviously disagree... Information provided by threads like this is beneficial but still circumstantial. As an aside :... this is a beach in Cape Town (where Mark and I studied) as a metaphor of penguins running free.