On April 11, Windows Users Get Improved Privacy Protections from Microsoft

FPF is pleased to see the major privacy advances in Microsoft’s upcoming update to Windows 10.  The Creator’s Update version of Windows 10 will provide a new privacy dashboard, allows users to limit telemetry information sent back to Microsoft, provides a detailed look at the telemetry information collected, and makes it easy for users to understand what data is collected when they choose basic or advanced installations.  People already running a version of Windows 10 will get a notification to schedule the Creators Update and choose privacy settings.

For each setting, Microsoft has provided a detailed description with the option to learn more about the information collected and how it is used. If you choose to turn all of these settings off (limiting the amount of data collected), you will be shifted to “basic” mode and your privacy settings screen will look like the image below.

The basic level now sends about 50 percent less data back to Microsoft, but does not eliminate all transmission of data, as the company requires a minimum amount of data for security and other essential debugging purposes.

We note that with these updates, Microsoft also has taken a big step towards being ready for compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Dive into the diagnostic data collected at the basic level here: https://technet.microsoft.com/itpro/windows/configure/basic-level-windows-diagnostic-events-and-fields