If there’s one complaint that pops up in every review of Windows 10, it’s the ambiguous privacy policy and questionable features that could easily be used to keep a closer eye on users than they’re comfortable with. Microsoft has continuously denied that Windows 10 poses any threat to user privacy, but now the company has posted a fairly in-depth blog post where it explains what these questionable features do and why. The gist of the blog post is that Windows 10 only collects user information in order to improve other services, and that users have complete control of what information is collected and how much.
It’s not hard to get people riled up about Internet privacy. Privacy policies can seem long and technical, and it’s easier to listen to the digital shouts of the Twittersphere and the media. After Windows 10 was released this summer, people said the operating system was spying on users and collecting data for extraneous purposes. Now, Microsoft is attempting to put those prickly privacy issues to rest with articles addressing the data Windows 10 collects and why. In the company’s introductory blog post about the issue, Terry Myerson, executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group, makes it clear that the user is the most important factor when considering privacy. The company says the information falls into three levels: safety and reliability data, personalization data and advertising data. Safety and reliability data includes info that lets Microsoft make sure the experience is secure and reliable. This data includes an anonymous device ID, device type and application crash data. It doesn’t include any of your content or files, and Myerson says they take extra steps to avoid collecting information that directly identifies someone, such as a name, email address or account ID. The data taken, also known as telemetry, is what Windows uses to improve its service, such as when the server crashes and is impacting users.