We’ve recently discovered that Microsoft’s new Windows 11 operating system may be secretly tracking users’ activities and interactions.
This comes as no surprise as Microsoft has built telemetry into the OS in order to track usage data, system performance, and the overall health of the system. This type of data is typically used to improve product support and development, however, a new report indicates that Windows 11 is taking it a step further.
According to the report, Microsoft is tracking usage data at an unprecedented level, collecting data on how much time you spend in certain software or applications, what programs you run, and even how often you interact with them. This means that if you’re using social media or gaming applications, for example, Microsoft would be able to track usage data for those programs.
Windows 11 also tracks interactions with Windows’ built-in applications, such as its voice assistant Cortana, and the Microsoft Store. All of this data is being used to create a detailed profile of each user’s usage habits, which Microsoft can then use for marketing and other commercial purposes.
The report also found that Windows 11 is sending this data to Microsoft’s own servers, as well as to third-party analytics companies. With such a high level of telemetry, it seems that Microsoft is building a massive database of users’ usage habits, which has raised a few eyebrows.
Although Microsoft has stated that it is not using the data for profiling purposes, the fact that it is tracking so much information is still concerning to some. Many of us are already aware of the ways in which our data is used, but Windows 11’s level of tracking is much more invasive and its implications far reaching.
At present, it seems that the only way to opt out of this tracking is to turn off the ‘Let Windows collect my experiences’ setting. However, this is buried deep within the operating system and may not be immediately obvious to most users.
Ultimately, the issue of user privacy is a very important one, especially now that Windows 11 is collecting such detailed information about our activities. While the data collected by Windows 11 is ostensibly used for product development purposes, the fact that it is also being used for marketing and profiling poses a risk to user privacy. It is therefore important for users to be aware of Windows 11’s telemetry and take steps to protect their privacy.
