Don't use Windows 10 - It's a privacy nightmare
- Data syncing is by default enabled.
- Browsing history and open websites.
- Apps settings.
- WiFi hotspot names and passwords.
- Your device is by default tagged with a unique advertising ID.
- Used to serve you with personalized advertisements by third-party advertisers and ad networks.
- Cortana can collect any of your data.
- Your keystrokes, searches and mic input.
- Calendar data.
- Music you listen to.
- Credit Card information.
- Purchases.
- Microsoft can collect any personal data.
- Your identity.
- Passwords.
- Demographics.
- Interests and habits.
- Usage data.
- Contacts and relationships.
- Location data.
- Content like emails, instant messages, caller list, audio and video recordings.
- Your data can be shared.
- When downloading Windows 10, you are authorizing Microsoft to share any of above-mentioned data with any third-party, with or without your consent.
Some good news
- WindowsSpyBlocker - Open source tool that blocks data collection.
- Comparison of Windows 10 Privacy tools - ghacks.net
- Fix Windows 10 privacy. - fix10.isleaked.com
- Windows 10 doesn't offer much privacy by default: Here's how to fix it. - Ars Technica.
- Guide: How to disable data logging in W10.
More bad news
- Windows 10 Sends Your Data 5500 Times Every Day Even After Tweaking Privacy Settings - The Hacker News.
- Even when told not to, Windows 10 just can't stop talking to Microsoft. It's no wonder that privacy activists are up in arms. - Ars Technica.
- Windows 10 Reserves The Right To Block Pirated Games And 'Unauthorized' Hardware. - Techdirt.
Quotes
Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.
The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife's phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards. I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.
We all need places where we can go to explore without the judgmental eyes of other people being cast upon us, only in a realm where we're not being watched can we really test the limits of who we want to be. It's really in the private realm where dissent, creativity and personal exploration lie.
Recommended Privacy Resources
Guides
- Surveillance Self-Defense by EFF - Guide to defending yourself from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices.
- The Crypto Paper - Privacy, Security and Anonymity for Every Internet User.
- Email Self-Defense by FSF - A guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG encryption.
- The Ultimate Privacy Guide - Excellent privacy guide written by the creators of the bestVPN.com website.
- IVPN Privacy Guides - These privacy guides explain how to obtain vastly greater freedom, privacy and anonymity through compartmentalization and isolation.
- The Ultimate Guide to Online Privacy - Comprehensive "Ninja Privacy Tips" and 150+ tools.
Information
- r/privacytoolsIO Wiki - Our Wiki on reddit.com.
- Security Now! - Weekly Internet Security Podcast by Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte.
- TechSNAP - Weekly Systems, Network, and Administration Podcast. Every week TechSNAP covers the stories that impact those of us in the tech industry.
- Keybase.io - Get a public key, safely, starting just with someone's social media username.
- Freedom of the Press Foundation - Supporting and defending journalism dedicated to transparency and accountability since 2012.
- Erfahrungen.com - German review aggregator website of privacy-related services.
- Terms of Service; Didn't Read - "I have read and agree to the Terms" is the biggest lie on the web. We aim to fix that.
Tools
- ipleak.net - IP/DNS Detect - What is your IP, what is your DNS, what informations you send to websites.
- The ultimate Online Privacy Test Resource List - A collection of Internet sites that check whether your web browser leaks information.
- PRISM Break - We all have a right to privacy, which you can exercise today by encrypting your communications and ending your reliance on proprietary services.
- Security in-a-Box - A guide to digital security for activists and human rights defenders throughout the world.
- SecureDrop - An open-source whistleblower submission system that media organizations can use to securely accept documents from and communicate with anonymous sources. It was originally created by the late Aaron Swartz and is currently managed by Freedom of the Press Foundation.
- Reset The Net - Privacy Pack - Help fight to end mass surveillance. Get these tools to protect yourself and your friends.
- Security First - Umbrella is an Android app that provides all the advice needed to operate safely in a hostile environment.
- Block Cloudflare MiTM Attack - Firefox add-on to detect and block corporate MITM attack.
- Osalt - A directory to help you find open source alternatives to proprietary tools.
- AlternativeTo - A directory to help find alternatives to other software, with the option to only show open source software
Note: Just being open source does not make software secure!
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