When a California realtor named Teri Goldstein ended up with a Windows 10 installation that she never authorized, it made her computer unusable and sabotaged her business. She filed a lawsuit in small claims court and Microsoft paid her $10,000.
Microsoft never admitted wrongdoing, but it is accused of using evil tricks to push possibly the worst spyware ever made. When Windows 10 automatically installs, the default settings send Microsoft your:
- Name
- Email address
- Content of your emails
- Preferences and interests
- Location
- Internet browsing history
- Search history
- Files
- Phone call and SMS data
- Sensor data (camera, microphone, etc.)
- Everything you type
- Everything you do on an app
How aggressive is the update? If you are running Windows 7 or 8, you may be surprised to learn you already have about 6GB of Windows 10 installation files hidden in a secret folder — C:\$windows.~BT.
For months, you have seen persistent pop-ups recommending a “free” upgrade to Windows 10. But if you clicked the “X” to close the pop-up, Microsoft decided you actually meant you wanted to schedule an automatic update.
Yes, you read that right. The same tactic used on porn sites is being used to shove Windows 10 down your throat.
In a few days, your computer stopped in the middle of whatever you were doing and started installing Windows 10. Once Windows 10 was installed, your computer would not work unless you accepted a monstrous 12,000-word service agreement.
Just in case you didn’t read it, here’s the takeaway:
We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to.”
The good news is you can opt-out of sending most of your data to Microsoft. The bad news is the default setting is “on” and it is not easy to turn everything off. It also uses your internet connection to deliver Windows 10 to other people nearby.
Windows 10 is now installed on 300 million active devices. The company recently announced that the forced upgrades will end on July 29. After that, you’ll have to pay $119 to upgrade. Microsoft also agreed to stop using the “click-X-and-approve” trickery.
Source: ARS Technica