Windows 10: Helper software for editing privacy-related settings

[OpenSourcerer 1435]

Whenever I read something about Windows 10, be it a news article or a forum post, I also read the word "privacy nightmare". It refers to excessive data collection practices by Microsoft's new operating system. Some of these can't even be disabled by going the usual way using built-in settings.

Luckily, these are the forums of a VPN provider where you can find guides on what to look out for when you want to forcibly shut down the unnecessary "spying". And I wanted to contribute to this by introducing software which helps with this task.

 

O&O ShutUp10

• Focused on privacy settings
• Must be installed: No
• Icons after every setting warn you about possible risks
• Shows you what exactly is changed
• Convenient search if you look for a specific setting

DoNotSpy10

• Focused on disabling services like Cortana, sensors, telemetry, and others
• Must be installed: Yes
• traffic light coloring of settings indicates possible impact on the system
• shows brief explanations for every setting
• free download is ad-supported

W10Privacy

• Focused on privacy settings and all pre-installed apps
• Must be installed: No
• More detailed toggles, like just preventing OneDrive's sync feature instead of disabling/uninstalling it as a whole
• traffic light coloring of every setting indicates possible impact on the system
• hovering over a setting shows some info on what is done when toggled

Maybe we should not ditch the OS but ditch the name: Microsoft Privacy Nightmare, or PN. Microsoft PN. Would really be a witty step after the last creative developer left Microsoft sometime after the Vista release. If you ask me, they instead hired devs who get an instant erection seeing so much data.... from just one Win10 installation.

[zhang888 1066]

Or, the free and open source DWS, without installing any services or shareware:

https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying

[go558a83nk 362]

There's also spybot anti-beacon.  https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/ 

[Kepler_452b 77]

Thanks to all for those progs! It would be nice to know how effective each is in blocking MS spying. I hope to avoid using Win10 altogether.

[OpenSourcerer 1435]

It would be nice to know how effective each is in blocking MS spying.

 

This will largely remain unknown as you don't know if a certain software covers it all... I don't even know if I can recommend using all of them. If you're on a non-production system like a VM or dedicated testing computer, try it out if you want.

[cm0s 118]

Bill has 90 billion tax free reasons why he luvz your credz

 

wwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeee........

[Artful Dodger 23]

Once you have installed and run said programs above I would also download peerblock.

 

Then add the Microsoft list from I-blocklist to block and you can see if Microsoft is trying to call home.

[cm0s 118]

WWGD ?

[Veep Peep 13]

Hello,

 

Does PeerBlock really make a difference for protection? 

Is it good stand alone?  Combined with AV?

 

Also - if you block MS - you don't get updates. 
When you turn it off to get updates, can MS get log files about my system?

 

Thanks,

 

Mr. V