Comment by jackstraw14
8 years ago
I hear what you're saying, but none of it makes me feel better about using Windows 10. It's not high-quality HN discussion, though here's a Reddit thread about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/31rxsv/disable_k...
You've told me three things that I can disable in Windows 10. Why is this stuff enabled by default in the first place? How do you know this is everything I need to disable to address these concerns? Or better, why isn't user consent requested before any serious "diagnostic tracking" like this? The answer, I think, is that it's too complicated for the average user. Once this "diagnostic tool" is effectively hidden from the user, and enabled on all devices, the tool either has to be monitored regularly (to make sure more features aren't auto-enabled like these were) or eliminated completely. I've spent too much of my life "monitoring" closed-source software to give much consideration to that option, at this point.
During installation/setup you have the option to disable a lot, unfortunately in an enterprise environment that isn't always something the user gets to see. Fortunately most of the crap is disabled or not present in the enterprise version of Windows 10.
It's on by default so that users will interact with it and try it out. This is pretty standard practice on every major OS or application you use today. New features are enabled by default and the user gets to figure out how to disable them if they don't like it.
Case in point, the latest update to Gmail on Android enables a feature of opening URLs in a Chrome Frame inside Gmail instead of using your browser. This is great for Google, not so much for the user. I got screwed over because of this feature because a nonce token I received was consumed by the Chrome Frame which promptly crashed.
Windows 10's suggestions and prompts are about on par with MacOS High Sierra's. If you're questioning that statement, try not setting up iCloud some time then come back to me.
It's a trust issue. I think it's a major leap to auto-enable new features without letting the users know what's going on, but people don't seem to have a problem with it these days as long as it doesn't raise any red flags in their mind or on social media. If we're auto-enabling stuff like this, don't users stop asking the questions? And is that consent?
That's not even going into who is making these decisions, the corporations who only stand to profit from you enabling these features. They will roll it back if there is enough public outcry, but burying the option in the system settings is one way to avoid mass public outcry. Convenient, isn't it.
Sure another major corporation is doing this with their products, but that doesn't make it right. None of this is an acceptable reason to continue sneaking it into their products. Plus the data collected has a potential for even more profit, which is where I just peace out and use an OS I trust. Why in the world would I give Windows 10 the benefit of the doubt?
There's definitely value in a lot of the data collected and there's also mass confusion about what's being collected and what collection can be disabled or can't as the case may be.
I'm not trying to justify data collection and I think that certain kinds of telemetry data are perfectly acceptable to be collected. The reason I bring up comparisons to other OSes is that often opponents to Windows 10 mention switching to other OSes which aren't necessarily any better.
With regards to trust in privacy and security, I can't say that I trust Microsoft any less than others. As an enterprise software and services provider, they are in a position where their products must meet certain standards in order to be adopted. The fact that they still are implies there's at least a certain level of trust held in them, unless you're the type of person who feels all companies are in on it.
Speaking of in terms of trusting in long term commitment and support, I would say I have greater trust in Microsoft than just about anyone else. They have the best track record when it comes to not outright abandoning products. You can argue that opensource software will always be supportable, that doesn't mean that it will be supported.
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