Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft

[mikepossy]

Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company.

Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real choice in the matter. The company does provide both a Windows Vista Privacy Statement and references within the End User License Agreement for the operating system. Combined, the resources paint the big picture over the extent of Microsoft's end user data harvest via Vista.

Source @ http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forge...ft-58752.shtml

[cauzomb]

Nearly ALL of the new applicaitons, and previous windows versions are already doing this.. Most of the updates are designed to allow gathering of information, and if not possible, due to older software, security settings, disabling of known privacy issues etc, the updates have a tendancy to revert security settings and automatically phone home with newly gathered info, or make those older things non-functional, to compell users to UPGRADE to new "inclusive" software/hardware... just look at the new software requirements to sell something on ebay... you can't use previous "secure" versions of browsers because they are not compatible with the NEW seller features, and you can't OPT out of the "NEW" features for sellers to list something for-sale... major advertising companies are using "NEW" code that is designed to get behind a fire-wall and ask permission to send gathered info back to the ads server, but if you have the older secure software, those new ads manage somehow to freeze, lock up, or crash that old secure computer... when you make mention of it to the companies, their only suggestion is to ensure that your software is "UP-TO-DATE" It's not just update and cool new software, one might say it's a war on privacy :P