Windows 11 Sends Tremendous Amount of User Data to Third Parties, YouTuber Claims
Many programs collect user data and send it back to developers to improve their software or provide more targeted services. However, according to PC security channel (via tech spot), Microsoft’s Windows 11 not only sends data to the Redmond, Washington-based software giant, but also to multiple third parties.
To analyze DNS traffic generated by a freshly installed copy of Windows 11 on a brand new notebook, PC Security Channel used the Wireshark network protocol analyzer, which reveals exactly what is happening on the network. bottom. The results were so amazing that a YouTube channel called Microsoft’s Windows 11 “spyware.”
After all, a brand new Windows 11 PC was never used to browse the Internet, and not only Windows Update, MSN, and Bing servers, but also Steam, McAfee, geo.prod.do, and Comscore ScorecardResearch.com was connected. Microsoft’s latest operating system apparently collected telemetry data and sent it to various market research firms, advertising services, and more.
To prove the point, PC Security Channel used the same tool to try to find out what Windows XP connected to after a fresh install, but the 20+ year old operating system connected to Windows Update. and Microsoft Update servers only.
We reached out to Microsoft for comment but did not hear back prior to publication. I’ll update if I get an answer.
Some claims may be technically exaggerated. Telemetry data is listed in the Windows Terms of Service, but many people skip it and use the operating system. You can also choose not to enable at least some of these by turning off the settings when you boot the OS for the first time.
“By accepting this agreement and using the software, you consent to Microsoft’s collection, use, and disclosure of information as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement (aka.ms/privacy) .feature,” Read Terms of Service (opens in new tab)It also points out that you can turn off some data sharing settings.
Clearly, a lot has changed in the last 20 years and we use more online services today than we did in the early 2000s. As a result, various telemetry data must be sent online to keep certain functions running. But at least you can’t opt out of all data sharing “features”, so Microsoft should do a better job of explicitly asking for consent and indicating what goes where. PC Security Channel warns that Windows 11 will send certain data even when telemetry tracking is disabled by third-party utilities.
