I've been told that Windows 10 spies on me. Is that true?
Like all modern operating systems, Windows 10 uses the internet to provide services, and it collects reports of crashes and installation failures to diagnose problems. It also uses an anonymized ID to track which applications you install and how often you use them. Collectively, this information is called
telemetry. The company doesn't collect your personal information except for the purposes disclosed in its privacy statement, it doesn't scan the files on your hard disk except to index them so you can search locally, and it doesn't have a keylogger.
As part of the "Windows as a Service" model, Microsoft has designed Windows 10 to share information for product improvement. In addition, Windows 10 integrates online services, such as Cortana and OneDrive, to store and sync personal settings and to build personalized dictionaries using speech and keyboard input
.
All of these options can be adjusted using privacy settings in Windows 10. For more details, see:
Most accusations of "spying" are based on a misreading of Microsoft's privacy policy. Despite numerous attempts, none of Microsoft's critics on this issue have shown any proof that personal information is being collected in violation of the privacy terms or misused for purposes other than product improvement.
For background on the general issue, see the following series of posts:
If you're worried about Windows 10 telemetry, you can open the Privacy tab in Windows 10 Settings, choose Feedback & Diagnostics, and adjust the Diagnostic & Usage Data setting to Basic.