Windows 7/8 updates makes it spy on you like Windows 10 - Polidicks

[quote]Microsoft is pushing KB3075249 and KB3080149 updates for Windows 7/8/8.1 users which can spy on you Windows 10 has been launched and already installed by more than 50 million users worldwide. It is now a known fact that Windows 10 user data is being reported back to Microsoft servers back in Redmond. The jury is still out whether this a good or bad practice but many of Windows 10 Apps like Cortana depend on getting your preferences correct to serve you better. This being the case, many Windows users who are not happy with Windows 10 spying ways and have preferred to stay on with Windows 7/Windows 8 and Window 8.1 as the case might be. For these Windows 7/8/8.1 users there are a few updates which Microsoft has been pushing through last few days. Namely, KB3075249 and KB3080149, if installed are known to report your data back to Microsoft servers. KB3075249 update adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. The Microsoft support page gives following description for them : KB3075249 “Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 ” [URL]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3075249[/URL] KB3080149 “This update aligns down-level devices on the same UTC binary that’s released in Windows 10. This update would enable all the down-level devices to receive the software updates, design updates, and additional power and performance tuning.” [URL]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3080149[/URL] In simple words, both these updates, if downloaded and installed will snoop on you and report back certain data to the Microsoft servers.[/quote] [URL]http://www.hakspek.com/security/updates-make-windows-7-and-8-spy-on-you-like-windows-10/[/URL] Haven't paid attention to the whole botnet thing but this is a bit odd.

Oh Well, uh, glad I don't have auto-updates on, I guess

Those updates have been out for a few months/weeks

they've had telemetry stuff since Vista anyway why does it matter so much? if you're so concerned about privacy go install Linux or something where you have absolute control and knowledge over the system :v:

If the NSA want to watch me fap to Lolis that's their loss

[QUOTE=Lyokanthrope;48534259]they've had telemetry stuff since Vista anyway why does it matter so much? if you're so concerned about privacy go install Linux or something where you have absolute control and knowledge over the system :v:[/QUOTE] Telemetry is alright, it's all dependent on how they use it and there's been some pretty odd screenshots coming out of packet monitoring programs lately. It's definitely reason to be skeptical. Also obligatory shitpost [t]http://i.imgur.com/z9l82rm.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Lyokanthrope;48534259]they've had telemetry stuff since Vista anyway why does it matter so much? if you're so concerned about privacy go install Linux or something where you have absolute control and knowledge over the system :v:[/QUOTE] because people use their operating system to interact with their computer hardware, not to data mine and spy on them.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;48534287]because people use their operating system to interact with their computer hardware, not to data mine and spy on them.[/QUOTE] Technically, most people use their computer to access the Internet, in which case, the Windows 10 spying concerns are absolutely moot. Facebook collects ten times the data of Microsoft.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534318]Technically, most people use their computer to access the Internet, in which case, the Windows 10 spying concerns are absolutely moot. Facebook collects ten times the data of Microsoft.[/QUOTE] But Facebook only has access to your browser. In your case for the average "all I do is I click on Chrome and do things" type of users, definitely, but Microsoft developed the proprietary closed source operating system, so who knows what they're doing.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534318]Technically, most people use their computer to access the Internet, in which case, the Windows 10 spying concerns are absolutely moot. Facebook collects ten times the data of Microsoft.[/QUOTE] There's extensions that block facebook from background data mining and sometimes additionally also feeds them garbage data. And then there's people who limits facebook usage down to the bare essential, or downright don't use it. Believing this is good and perfectly normal is a sign of that we're going down a path with no privacy and secrets.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534318]Technically, most people use their computer to access the Internet, in which case, the Windows 10 spying concerns are absolutely moot. Facebook collects ten times the data of Microsoft.[/QUOTE] facebook generally data mines the most vapid and useless shit anyway. they know i like indie rock and watch sci fi movies. i guess they could know more depending on how much you use it, but you can easily switch away from facebook. facebook is just a website. on the other hand, microsoft could technically know everything from singling out movie pirates to the mpaa to finding government dissidents. its hard to switch away from a windows OS because theyre the industry standard for a lot of things.

[QUOTE=Van-man;48534349]There's extensions that block facebook from background data mining and sometimes additionally also feeds them garbage data. And then there's people who limits facebook usage down to the bare essential, or downright don't use it. Believing this is good and perfectly normal is a sign of that we're going down a path with no privacy and secrets.[/QUOTE] I think it's natural progression for an OS-as-a-service. There are plenty of alternatives for the privacy conscious, including older versions of Windows. Not everyone has to upgrade to the latest OS, and not doing so would carry significant weight if done in high enough numbers. I'm just tired of hearing people complain about how Windows 10 is so invasive, like they were forced to install it. If you don't want to use it, it's literally as easy as doing nothing.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534403]I think it's natural progression for an OS-as-a-service. There are plenty of alternatives for the privacy conscious, including older versions of Windows. Not everyone has to upgrade to the latest OS, and not doing so would carry significant weight if done in high enough numbers. I'm just tired of hearing people complain about how Windows 10 is so invasive, like they were forced to install it. If you don't want to use it, it's literally as easy as doing nothing.[/QUOTE] how is that a good move going forward? a lot of applications are exclusive to windows and a lot of businesses only use windows. right now you can get away with using older versions of windows, but what about 10 years down the line? its pretty clear microsoft have adopted a policy of datamining their customers, why would you expect that to change in the future?

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;48534368]facebook generally data mines the most vapid and useless shit anyway. they know i like indie rock and watch sci fi movies. i guess they could know more depending on how much you use it, but you can easily switch away from facebook. facebook is just a website. on the other hand, microsoft could technically know everything from singling out movie pirates to the mpaa to finding government dissidents. its hard to switch away from a windows OS because theyre the industry standard for a lot of things.[/QUOTE] Facebook does a lot more than that. They can track everything you do on the Internet, and they do. Every one of those Like buttons, every Facebook-powered comment section, all their API stuff collects the browsing data of people who see it. That's all compiled into databases that rival the NSA's. Of course, everyone does that. Not just Facebook. Advertising companies, the government, Google... If you're on the Internet, you have no expectation of privacy.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534429]Facebook does a lot more than that. They can track everything you do on the Internet, and they do. Every one of those Like buttons, every Facebook-powered comment section, all their API stuff collects the browsing data of people who see it. That's all compiled into databases that rival the NSA's. Of course, everyone does that. Not just Facebook. Advertising companies, the government, Google... If you're on the Internet, you have no expectation of privacy.[/QUOTE] It's a lot more sinister when it's hard coded into the operating system, meanwhile there are dozens of widely used extensions that disable adsense/social networking/cookies/enable HTTPS everywhere that are available at the click of a button. Trust me, I agree with you, but at least there's a fix to the latter.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;48534425]how is that a good move going forward? a lot of applications are exclusive to windows and a lot of businesses only use windows. right now you can get away with using older versions of windows, but what about 10 years down the line? its pretty clear microsoft have adopted a policy of datamining their customers, why would you expect that to change in the future?[/QUOTE] I don't. I'm just willing to accept that this is the way this is going to be, and I can't do anything to change that. I'm way too pragmatic to care. Personally, as long as I can write articles, and visit forums like this one, I really don't care what data my computer collects on me. I don't really do anything worth caring about, so if Microsoft cares about how inane my life is, by all means datamine the hell out of it. That's a price I'm willing to pay for free software upgrades. It's a whole lot cheaper than money. In fact, if you're curious, I can tell you exactly what I've done on my computer this week. I've visited Facepunch, Reddit, The Verge, and Couchtuner/KissCartoons. I've also checked my Facebook, Twitter, Outlook, and Google Hangouts. That's pretty much it. If that's the data Microsoft's collecting on me, I'm perfectly fine with that.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;48534425]how is that a good move going forward? a lot of applications are exclusive to windows and a lot of businesses only use windows. right now you can get away with using older versions of windows, but what about 10 years down the line? its pretty clear microsoft have adopted a policy of datamining their customers, why would you expect that to change in the future?[/QUOTE] You do realize there's probably going to be programs and shit that restore your privacy in the future right?

[QUOTE=TornadoAP;48534441]You do realize there's probably going to be programs and shit that restore your privacy in the future right?[/QUOTE] like trying to clog holes in a sieve, its better if the holes don't exist in the first place.

[QUOTE=TornadoAP;48534441]You do realize there's probably going to be programs and shit that restore your privacy in the future right?[/QUOTE] That shouldn't be necessary in the first place.

Does the snooping only apply to online activity?

[QUOTE=AbioFlesh;48534514]Does the snooping only apply to online activity?[/QUOTE] Nope. It's basic telemetry, so program launches and typing patterns are also analyzed. Granted, you can turn off most of it in the control panel, but Cortana won't work if you do.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534403]I think it's natural progression for an OS-as-a-service. There are plenty of alternatives for the privacy conscious, including older versions of Windows. Not everyone has to upgrade to the latest OS, and not doing so would carry significant weight if done in high enough numbers. I'm just tired of hearing people complain about how Windows 10 is so invasive, like they were forced to install it. If you don't want to use it, it's literally as easy as doing nothing.[/QUOTE] Except, you know, this whole article is about the fact they're rolling these changes back to older versions of Windows. Huh, imagine that. Your solution isn't a solution at all.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534527] Granted, you can turn off most of it in the control panel, but Cortana won't work if you do.[/QUOTE] Can this be done in Windows 7 as well?

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534318]Technically, most people use their computer to access the Internet, in which case, the Windows 10 spying concerns are absolutely moot. Facebook collects ten times the data of Microsoft.[/QUOTE] obviously the solution is to not have a facebook you normie cuck

It always strikes me as extremely idiotic to encourage apathy about privacy. Think of privacy like a vaccine, its a decent analogy. The more people have it, the less people who need it need to stand out. The government *not* knowing everything about everyone is important in preventing a repeat of mcarthyism which is more recent than most people realize. Imagine that, except where everyone has EVERYTHING about them known by corporations who just give data the governments without a warrant because its just easier that way. It's not just about the government either, if the government and corporations have that data, its extremely easy for third party criminals to get it and use it for their own purposes as we've seen over and over in the past 5 years. And yeah, its all fine and good to say "well i have nothing to hide so come at me", but the point is that you should make them waste time "coming at you" if they want to spend those resources spying on you. They cant "come at you" if you've already given them every ounce of data you've ever interacted with. Also FYI windows 10 bypasses hosts file and windows firewall settings entirely. You need third party firewalls just to turn off that shit, and you cant disable auto updates without it turning itself back on "in a little while". And even then, adware, spyware, pando media booster bandwidth leeching is all in the OS by default. It doesnt just stop being bad because its microsoft instead of some random criminal. They're both profiting off the same information. The average user simply does not have the technical expertise to disable the spyware, even if they are privacy conscious, and what then? they just have to forfit their privacy if they want to use computers. Every windows 10 computer will have this shit on it, this isnt an isolated case. Not enough people are causing a racket about this.

[QUOTE=Alice3173;48534546]Except, you know, this whole article is about the fact they're rolling these changes back to older versions of Windows. Huh, imagine that. Your solution isn't a solution at all.[/QUOTE] These updates have been out now for a few weeks, and they're optional. And Windows 7 and 8 have the ability to hide updates. So the solution is to continue doing nothing.

[QUOTE=woolio1;48534429]Facebook does a lot more than that. They can track everything you do on the Internet, and they do. Every one of those Like buttons, every Facebook-powered comment section, all their API stuff collects the browsing data of people who see it. That's all compiled into databases that rival the NSA's. Of course, everyone does that. Not just Facebook. Advertising companies, the government, Google... If you're on the Internet, you have no expectation of privacy.[/QUOTE] continue being willfully ignorant of the fact that they have access to everything you do.

[QUOTE=space1;48534638]continue being willfully ignorant of the fact that they have access to everything you do.[/QUOTE] Not willfully ignorant. I know full well they know everything about me. I just don't care. It's a lot of work and effort to care, and I don't have the time.

Anyone notice yet that these guys are using their own comments section as a source? Like a bunch of people on the comments section are posting "do not install" updates and the article writer just straight up updates the article with them. [quote=comments]Quick update: I doublechecked my list, the following two updates actually don’t exist, so disregard them: KB2922324 KB3015249 I must have picked up some erroneous info somewhere along the way. Also, I can’t confirm if KB3065987, KB3075851 are sinister, but they look highly suspicious.[/quote] Wrong information and he's not sure about 2 updates but "they look suspicious", great source there. I just smell media fear mongering and click magnets.

[QUOTE=Electrocuter;48534703]Anyone notice yet that these guys are using their own comments section as a source? Like a bunch of people on the comments section are posting "do not install" updates and the article writer just straight up updates the article with them. Wrong information and he's not sure about 2 updates but "they look suspicious", great source there. I just smell media fear mongering and click magnets.[/QUOTE] Blame Facepunch for blocking out the actual source I pasted it all from. It had a virus keyword in it or something.