Attempting to answer whether MS is snooping

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	TOP STORY Attempting to answer whether MS is snooping
	By Susan Bradley Microsoft has recently released updates to Windows 7 that allow it to gather more information about our PCs. But is the company really tracking what we do on our systems? And can this data gathering be turned off?

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The full text of this column is posted at http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/attempting-to-answer-whether-ms-is-snooping/ (opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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Susan,

I truly appreciate all the effort that goes into producing such a well written, well linked and well figured column. I thank you for all the work you put into each column.

In this latest one I see a potential mixed message…….

First you say:

What Microsoft built into Windows 10 from the start, it recently added to our Win7 and Win8.1 systems via a series of updates. (That’s caused quite a tizzy in the blogosphere, with most of the “discussions” based on conjecture and hearsay.) For example, optional KBs 3075249, 3080149 and 3068708 give Win7 and Win8.1 data-gathering capabilities similar to Win10’s.

and then go on to tell us how to avoid those updates. That’s all well and good.

However later, when discussing how to disable Windows telemetry function you say:

Open the start menu and click Administrative Tools/Services (or Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services). Scroll down the list of services until you find Diagnostic Tracking Service. Click it and stop the service, then click OK. Now right-click the service and open Properties. Change Startup type from Automatic to Disabled (see Figure 2) and then click OK. (Note: If you don’t see the service, it’s probably because you’re behind a domain and didn’t get optional updates KB 3075249, KB 3080149, and KB 3068708 installed, install that service.)

Which is it?
1) Should I avoid those updates and never allow Windows telemetry onto my Win7 systems?, or
2) Should I install those updates just so I can disable Windows telemetry service?

Or did I miss something?

Thanks for any clarifications!
brino

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In this latest one I see a potential mixed message…….

First you say:

and then go on to tell us how to avoid those updates. That’s all well and good.

However later, when discussing how to disable Windows telemetry function you say:

Which is it?
1) Should I avoid those updates and never allow Windows telemetry onto my Win7 systems?, or
2) Should I install those updates just so I can disable Windows telemetry service?

Or did I miss something?

One or the other, with the second option probably being more permanent.

I think you must have missed this paragraph between the two you quoted:

An alternative to constantly checking these “optional” telemetry updates is to turn off the telemetry services altogether. Windows Secret’s sister publication — Windows IT Pro — provides advanced-user instructions for disabling the Windows Tracking Service; see the Sept. 9 article, “How to: Turn off telemetry in Windows 7, 8, and Windows 10.” This technique will ensure you don’t have to hide future telemetry updates.

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Microsoft’s position would be significantly better if it would just come clean and explain itself a lot better than it has been.

TweakHound: Looking At Windows 10 Privacy

Judging from the info in TweakHound’s above article, turning off MS’s provided default privacy options are sufficient.
WU is still a constant irritant, but that too can be remedied, although I prefer the previous operating systems handling of WU.

I despise APPLE and everything to do with it. MS please STOP trying to be more like them.
Cortana is a bad idea for anything but a mobile device.

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Susan,

Your posts are worth their weight in gold (even at the current price!)… thanks!
A question: I disabled the Diagnostic Tracking Service on my Win8.1 system but am still seeing these services running:

Diagnostic Policy Service (Running – Automatic)
Diagnostic Service Host (Running – Automatic)
Diagnostic System Host (not running – Manual)

What should be done with these services??

Marty

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Thanks so much for this tip, Susan.

On my Win7 Pro system, Diagnostics [with an S] Tracking Service is located here:

Control Panel>Computer Management>Services and Applications>Services>Diagnostics Tracking Service

Steve

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I’ve disable those with no ill effect. They also have no dependencies.

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Thank you so much for that article, a subject close to my heart! A small point of clarification please.

I don’t install updates automatically, however, the three Updates are listed as Optional. Diagnostic Policy Service, Diagnostic Service Host, & Diagnostic System Host are all disabled. Do I install all three updates to enable the Diagnostic Tracking Service, and then disable it?

David

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Thank you, Susan, for the thought and effort you put into your columns.

My OS is Windows 7 Pro.

I attempted to disable Windows telemetry service. Now I’m confused. I can do the following: Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, Administrative Items. :confused:

What should I do next. Thank you for answering my question and helping me disable Windows telemetry service.

Charles

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I attempted to disable Windows telemetry service. Now I’m confused. I can do the following: Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, Administrative Items. :confused:

What should I do next.

Services, as the article says.

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Some of you are confused.
Diagnostic Policy Service
Diagnostic Service Host
Diagnostic System Host
ARE NOT the same as the “Diagnostics Tracking Service”
Those 3 services without the letter “s” on the end of “Diagnostic”
have been on your system since installation and are used when you run a diagnostic test on, why your network is not working or when running diagnostics on an application.

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What a wonderful column. I will pass it along.

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Regarding “privacy”. Whatever the intentions of the Microsoft’s/Google’s/Apple’s/Etc. press releases and maybe even their upper management and most of the employees, these are huge corporations with armies of cubicle rats and there will always be people of poor scruples mixed in with them. So you can bet that your privacy will be and probably has been compromised thoroughly and often. If that sounds like paranoia, consider the recent Volkswagen emissions scam. Or the fact that Target’s big credit card theft was perpetrated by an insider. I could go on back to besiegers bribing their way into impregnable castles. It’s human nature, most of us are good, but some of us are amoral and some are just rotten. Our laws ensure that corporations almost all fall into the latter two categories. Competition is good for advancements and efficiency, but the price of that chronic pressure is often individual employee desperation, cheating, etc. (I should add that I’m not pointing at the lowest employees, either. Managers all the way up to the CEO are also employees of the corporation.)

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There is some confusion, whether it’s me …

Diagnostic Policy Service
Diagnostic Service Host
Diagnostic System Host

ARE NOT the same as “Diagnostics Tracking Service” and have been on Win 7 since SP1 or since RTM, IIRC.
I disabled (and killed) all 3 and disabled my network connection then ran the diagnostic app on the connection and it seemed to work ok, not 100% sure though. I am curious as to what exactly they do.

UPDATE –
just reran diagnostics on my network and got the message this time that Diagnostic Policy Service must be enabled to do diagnostics.

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I figured out why I couldn’t disable Diagnostics Tracking Service. The sentence “Open the start menu and click Administrative Tools/Services (or Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services).” should read tell the reader to double click Services.

When I double click services, I’m able to follow the instructions in the article. Hooray!!!:D

Charles

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I figured out why I couldn’t disable Diagnostics Tracking Service. The sentence “Open the start menu and click Administrative Tools/Services (or Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services).” should tell the reader to double click Services.

When I double click services, I’m able to follow the instructions in the article

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Diagnostic Policy Service
Diagnostic Service Host
Diagnostic System Host

The explanation for these has to do with windows troubleshooting on your computer.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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@ csmart4125,
You only have to double-click because of the way you have set your preferences in “Tools-Folder Options”
BUT,
In folder-options (se7en x64) I have mine set to double-click to open something but I only have to 1-click “Admin. Tools” in the start menu which list the tools and then 1-click on “Services”, same with control panel.
I also have the start menu (under customize) set to display the items on the right side as “Links” vs displaying as a “Menu”.

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If you have an internet connection then your privacy is pretty much gone – and this goes for almost any electronic device you care to name. Yes, there are things you can do to minimize the exposure and the more hours you are willing to pour into building up the walls around you but you are still exposed to some degree every time you use a device.

This is a fact of modern life and we, the consumer, have created this situation for ourselves. We have not only allowed it to happen we have encouraged it. I don’t like it much and have taken some trouble to minimize it but consider this…

If you have a smart phone you probably have location services turned on and are connected to the internet 24/7. That means that every app on that phone can know where you are right now. They know where you were last night and given a few weeks of data can guess where you will be at noon next Thursday. They potentially have access to your contacts and know who you talk with and how long. They know who you email and who emails you.

There are dozens of apps on your smart device and they will gladly tell you what services they have access to. They give you two choices – accept that access (all of it) or remove or disable the app. There is no middle ground and it’s app by laborious app. And that assumes you even can remove/disable the app because many are “built in” and will try and update and reestablish their access.

Privacy is a myth in the internet age.

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Running Win7 home premium 64bit in an administrator acct.(Yes I know that’s not smart). Was unable to stop diag. tracking, but allowed me to disable it. After about an hour it had restarted. Any suggestions? Thanks.

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What Microsoft built into Windows 10 from the start, it recently added to our Win7 and Win8.1 systems via a series of updates. (That’s caused quite a tizzy in the blogosphere, with most of the “discussions” based on conjecture and hearsay.) For example, optional KBs 3075249, 3080149 and 3068708 give Win7 and Win8.1 data-gathering capabilities similar to Win10’s.

I wanted to make a minor correction to what Susan said about the KB3068708, KB3075249 & KB3080149 updates.
These updates for Windows 7 & 8.1 are no longer Optional. They have been rated as IMPORTANT by MS Windows Update either in late August or in early September. If Windows 7 or 8.1 is set to Automatically download & install updates, then Win7/8.1 will automatically download & install these 3 updates.

edit: The three updates [KB3068708, KB3075249 & KB3080149] are rated as Recommended updates by Windows Update as I ran Windows Update on a Win7 computer. Thus, those updates are NOT Optional anymore.

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The three updates [KB3068708, KB3075249 & KB3080149] are rated as Recommended updates by Windows Update as I ran Windows Update on a Win7 computer. Thus, those updates are NOT Optional anymore.

Another good reason to set WU to “Never check for updates”.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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I can’t see any reason to ever have WU’s set to anything other than disabled EXCEPT, when after downloading the updates (hotfixes/security only) as fast as my connection can go (200Mb/s+) and installing all of them with a .bat file, I have to have WU set to “manual” for the 20-30 minutes it takes to install every sec. update since SP1. (se7en x64) Reboot and kill WU with extreme prejudice and a big smile.

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I can’t see any reason to ever have WU’s set to anything other than disabled EXCEPT, when after downloading the updates (hotfixes/security only) as fast as my connection can go (200Mb/s+) and installing all of them with a .bat file, I have to have WU set to “manual” for the 20-30 minutes it takes to install every sec. update since SP1. (se7en x64) Reboot and kill WU with extreme prejudice and a big smile.

How do you dl them w/ a bat file?

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Susan,

Thank you for a very enlightening article on “Attempting to answer whether MS is snooping”.
I think that is a rhetorical question. Of course they are snooping.
History is a great teacher and MS has a proven history of snooping.
Worst yet, again referring to historical reports, all of the big tech companies have been co-opted by the Government to help with spying and data collecting efforts.

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Sometimes I start to worry about governments colluding with businesses and so on. And then I look around me at the total inability for people to cooperate on even the simplest things. And my mind is set at ease again. Yes, our privacy is gone and many other things are ebbing away. But I think it’s due to the fact that we have created a world that is WAY too complex for our little monkey brains to handle, not because of any organized plot against us. Yeah, individuals will always behave aberrantly like I mentioned in my previous post. But I don’t think people are even capable of organizing against us in a big way and then sticking with it. At least it’s that thought that keeps me sane.

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The real question is can we use site blocking on our routers to stop any of this? Some of the MS sites have been said to have IP addresses hard coded into the S/W. I can block site by URL but my router does not seem to have the ability to block IP addresses.

Backporting Win10 telemetry tools to Win7/8.1

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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