this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2026
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Privacy

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Another reason why Linux is better. Microsoft's shady ways of sending back data. Make sure to disable Telemetry in services and others if you still are on Windows. (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by Anonymous_Leaker@lemmy.world to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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If this isn't a reason to switch to Linux, I don't know what is! I should have posted this sooner, just in case if it helps. This should piss you off as much as it does me. More shady ass ways data is being sent back to Microsoft. You have to switch off all kinds of shit! I assume you might know this already. But, just in case you are still on Windows and don't know. Next, you also can go to the recovery tab and select take no action, just in case Windows tries to re enable it after a Windows update. Also, turn off the telemetry setting in settings shown in photos. There might be more that I don't even know about.

It also stores your search history!

Who knows what required data they are sending!

More garbage.

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[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 25 points 2 months ago (2 children)

at least on LTSC 2019, after extensive tweaking on gpedit/regedit i could confirm no unwanted background network traffics at all. but having to actively fight the OS is really awful.. and an update brings some of them back.

[–] FoxAlive@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

At that point just use Linux. I remember even in windows 10 trying to debloat windows with numerous scripts, and different base iso. If anything it made windows more unstable and even more useless, more than it actually helped.

I know change is hard but its really easy, especially if you are mad, and carry that energy with you.

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 2 points 2 months ago

nah i'm already more of a *nix guy than windows. but i still have numerous things that work better with windows. my main laptop runs slackware and my desktop freebsd.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 months ago

Ensure your network firewall filters outward traffic as well.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

There are also some more, but some tecnical telemetries are necesary (error logs, bugs, search for updates...), which are not a privacy problem. Anyway it's recommend to install the Portmaster app which add an powerful extra privacy and security layer (also usefull in Linux).

Apart of the privacy settings, Windows also has by default a lot of not needed crap and services, which are not needed wasting RAM and System sources. SysMain and Prefetch were usefull 10-15 years ago in mecanical HD, in modern devices, more with SSD only slow down the system, also IndexService dont make much sense anymore, Hibernate Service also isn't really needed, but both waste a lot of RAM. All mencioned can be desactivated with an very improved performance as result. Apart it load also a lot of services and drivers for periferics which are need a look, if you need these or not (if you don't use eg an printer or digitalizer tablet, you don't also need that these services and drivers are loaded on startup)

[–] Anonymous_Leaker@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's so shitty how things have gotten.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Agree, but at least is possible to turn Windows in an acceptable OS, but it need some work before. Way worse is the battle against the web hegemony of Google and other US big tech

[–] Anonymous_Leaker@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Yea, debloat.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Just so you know, turning all that off only limits SOME of the telemetry going back to Microsoft. You can’t turn it all off.

[–] Anonymous_Leaker@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I know. I didn't say it turned off everything. "There might be more that I don’t even know about." As discussed, if it helps any, it is still better to turn them off than leave them on. That is if you are forced to stay on Windows. As I said, Linux is better for privacy.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You're a breath of fresh air. Thank you.

[–] Anonymous_Leaker@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Actually, that's the nicest comment I have had all day, lol. You're welcome.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 5 points 2 months ago

You're welcome. The video tripped my trigger.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

it not only stores your search history, it sends all your start menu searches to bing, to give you useless web results for the installed programs and local files you actually need. there's no setting for it. o&o shutup10 can disable it with registry.. on most installs, because on some it ignores that registry value.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

For me it don't do it. No EDGE nor Bing in my W11.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

does 11 even has that feature by default?

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 months ago

That is the real problem with Windows, less the privacy (MS isn't an advertising company like Google, they make money with their products, forced to use these, instead of user choice alternatives. and userdata to train their AIs, sharing bandwidth of the users for own use, this is the main issue of M$). Windows has all the M$ crap, AIs, EDGE, Bing, ads, OneDrive, Recall, etc. as default. You can desactivate all of these, but as I said before, it need advanced work diving through a ton of indocumented menus, submenus and registry entries (territory Comanche !!!). Luckily there are a lot of tutorials on the web which can help to eliminate all this crap.

[–] Mediaburn@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 months ago

Im so glad Ive walked away and never looked back