Microsoft has revealed a list of user data that Windows 10 collects.

Since Microsoft released the Windows 10 operating system, privacy advocates and interested users have not been tired of repeating that the company should improve and clarify its privacy policy. So far, Microsoft has ignored these words, but the upcoming update for Windows 10 Creators Update has moved things to a halt in some significant aspects.

Finally, the company decided to explain how, where and when it collects data, and also discloses how this information is used. A user who installs the Creators Update update, available from April 11 or right now , will be able to use the privacy screen, which will display the current device settings by key sections.
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Previous updates for Windows 10 did not interfere with setting privacy settings, but Microsoft nevertheless decided to inform users that they could change settings they could not have known before the update.



The corporation also updated the Microsoft privacy agreement where it most clearly determined what data the system collects and under what circumstances. If the user chooses the level of permissions for exchanging diagnostic data called “Basic” (“basic”), then the system will collect limited information that is important for understanding the device and its configuration: basic information about the device and its compliance, compatibility with applications and Windows Store, as well as security information. The base level helps to identify problems that may arise on a specific hardware or software device.



For example, it will help identify problems that may arise on devices with a certain amount of memory, or related to a specific driver version. So Microsoft is going to fix problems with the operating system and applications.

The Microsoft statement also includes a section of 30 thousand words, which defines all the extensions, events and information that can be collected in this mode. This length of the list is due to the fact that Microsoft is collecting data quite thoroughly. The published list includes various types of information: information about the name, version and build of the operating system, user ID, data about the browser, passwords. Now some of them can be disabled.

The information collected by the company within the framework of the basic settings is limited to general data on the state of the system, and not personal data. The company has long been using tools that can identify common problems and system errors: it became clear that 22% of the crashes in Windows Vista were actually caused by Nvidia driver errors.

Windows 10 Mobile users will also be able to configure key privacy options after the update. The only difference in the operation of the system on a mobile phone is that the “Personalized Diagnostic Data Setting” option will be disabled automatically for all clients and will not appear as an option on the privacy screen due to the restriction of the mobile platform.

The company has not yet published an exhaustive list of the information that is collected when choosing the “Full” diagnostic data exchange mode, but it accurately determined what information is being collected under various scenarios and under what circumstances it is sent to Microsoft. Most of the data collected in full, is still general information about the state of the system, but there are situations where personal information may fall into the hands of the company.



Disclosing this kind of information is an important step towards resolving privacy issues with which Windows users have been involved for at least two years: privacy issues in Windows 10 were raised long before the actual launch of the OS. Microsoft privacy policy has also been updated.

In future updates, Microsoft plans to develop a policy for receiving feedback from users about data collection and privacy settings. Over time, it will be possible to access even more information, view and delete data that the company collects using the Microsoft Privacy Control Panel.

With Creators Update, voice data will also be displayed on this panel, and users will be able to view the data that Cortana’s voice assistant processes and sends to Microsoft.

The best way for Microsoft to deal with privacy issues is to allow users to completely abandon telemetry collection. Many users have not yet switched to the new system just because Microsoft does not accept this position.



Those users who still decide to switch to this system or put it on a blank hard disk will be able to configure switches and set the necessary parameters during installation, including access to the device’s location and voice recognition.

It is still impossible to completely disable sending Microsoft data. Update Creators Update for Windows 10 officially comes out on April 11th.