What happened?
Windows 10 arrived at the end of July, with 14 million users installing it on the first day. However, the new operating system has already raised concerns about privacy.
Many users have complained about Windows 10’s default settings, particularly those that involve Wi-Fi passwords. Wi-Fi Sense is Microsoft's new way of sharing your wireless connection. If you’re sitting next to a friend - which Microsoft identifies by looking at your Skype, email or Facebook contacts -they can get access to the Wi-Fi connection you’re logged into. This saves you needing to dig out your Wi-Fi password when you have a guest in your home.
However, security experts have warned that this could prove a problem, with access to your network being given to too many people. In defence of Wi-Fi Sense, Microsoft says that it only shares an encrypted version of your password, and that you have to approve anyone who tries to log in via your computer.
Wi-Fi passwords aren’t the only worry relating to Windows 10 and privacy; Microsoft’s new advertising system has also prompted complaints. Every user has a unique ID tied to their Microsoft email address, and that’s now being used to target personalised adverts. The advertising isn’t shown directly in the operating system, but appears on the web and in some Windows Store apps.
Most of the options causing these privacy concerns can be turned off in Windows 10’s settings, but Microsoft is being criticised for activating them by default and for making users jump through hoops to disable them, with the various options spread across multiple privacy settings screens.
There is one setting you can’t change: whether to install security updates. Microsoft is letting you decide whether you want to be asked before it restarts your PC for updates, but it’s making the updates compulsory. That should be good news for users, because many people delay updates, which leaves them at risk of being hacked.
How will it affect you?
If you’re not keen on Wi-Fi Sense, you can turn it off and remove permission for anyone you’ve previously approved. Simply go to Settings, click ‘Network and Internet' and then Wi-Fi. You can turn off the features under Manage Wi-Fi Settings. You can also prevent the service from using your Wi-Fi by changing the name of your wireless access point (the SSID) so that it finishes with the phrase "optout”.
For the other problems, you’ll need to take the time to step through Microsoft's many settings to disable anything you’re not keen on. Frankly, it’s good advice to do this with any operating system, even one you’ve been using for years or a mobile system such as Android, so you can understand what your options are, even if you don’t in the end disable anything.
What do we think?
It’s understandable that Microsoft is trying to learn about our behaviour and interests, so it can boost its earnings from advertising, but why can’t it put the same effort into important areas such as privacy and security? It’s willing to show us ads to sell products, so it should do a better job of clarifying privacy and security settings for users.
A simple privacy setup wizard could guide you through any changes and let you opt in or out of the features in an informed manner. Wi-Fi Sense is a clever system that could save time for many of us, but some people will disable it because they don’t understand the risks or limitations, which is a shame.
The assumption that these systems need to be opt-out, or users will never turn them on and they’ll be worthless, also seems like an imposition. An alternative would be for Microsoft to simply ask every user whether they want to use them. Some people may complain that the long list of requests will make slow work of completing the installation, but users could also be offered the option to set up their own privacy settings, or default to a privacy-focused mode or sharing mode.