However, Microsoft says its goal is to store data only "for as long as it's needed to provide a service or for analysis." A vague follow-up statement says "much of the info about how Windows and apps are functioning is deleted within 30 days." Is it possible for Microsoft to collect business or personal information? There's no hard-and-fast rule that defines how long data is retained. Only "aggregated, anonymous telemetry information" is included in reports that are shared with partners. This data is compiled into business reports for analysis and for use by teams tasked with fixing bugs and improving the performance of the operating system and associated services. Microsoft maintains potentially sensitive telemetry data "in a separate data store that's locked down to a small subset of Microsoft employees in the Windows Devices Group." In addition, the company says, "Only those who can demonstrate a valid business need can access the telemetry info." Note that the IP addresses assigned to these individual hosts might vary. I was able to confirm these values using many hours of network diagnostics. Here are just a few to make you more secure in the new year. Search for Feedback in the Settings app to find the Diagnostic And Usage Data switch shown here.ġ0 best privacy tools for staying secure onlineĪ number of free and open-source projects exist solely to protect your identity and online activity. If you are concerned enough about privacy to have read this far, you probably want to set the telemetry level to Basic. (On a device that is running an Insider preview edition, this value is set to Full and can only be changed by installing a released version.) The default level is Full for Windows 10 Home and Pro and Enhanced for Enterprise edition. I will not try to summarize the four levels here but instead encourage you to read the full descriptions for each level in the documentation. For systems where the telemetry is set to a level higher than Basic, the information collected includes events that analyze interaction between the user and the operating system and apps. Additional basic information includes a list of installed apps and drivers. Telemetry data includes information about the device and how it's configured (including hardware attributes such as CPU, installed memory, and storage), as well as quality-related information such as uptime and sleep details and the number of crashes or hangs.
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