Windows 8 Privacy Concerns?

[Fox Mulder]

Hi everyone. Now that I just heard that the Windows 8 upgrade will be offered for cheap, I'm seriously considering getting it. Does anyone know of any privacy concerns related to Windows 8 that aren't present in Windows 7?

[AlexC]

Originally Posted by Fox Mulder

Hi everyone. Now that I just heard that the Windows 8 upgrade will be offered for cheap, I'm seriously considering getting it. Does anyone know of any privacy concerns related to Windows 8 that aren't present in Windows 7?

Try to google for Windows 8 Kill Switch...

[Fox Mulder]

Frankly that's a bit spooky. I'm not inclined to upgrade unless there was a way that I could block incoming kill switch orders.

[mirimir]

Originally Posted by Fox Mulder

Frankly that's a bit spooky. I'm not inclined to upgrade unless there was a way that I could block incoming kill switch orders.

Police are your friends

[Tomwa]

Originally Posted by Infoword

You might not know -- at least, I was very surprised to find -- that Windows 8 doesn't build its Contacts list dynamically. Instead, it keeps a cache of contacts from all of those sources stored on the machine. The cache persists even when the user logs off or the machine is turned off. That means anyone who can sign on to your PC with an administrator account can see all of your contacts and all of their data -- names, email addresses, pictures, telephone numbers, addresses -- whatever you have on file or whatever's been sucked in from Hotmail, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Source: https://www.infoworld.com/t/microsof...al-data-192542

Originally Posted by Microsoft Windows Store ToS

Can Microsoft remove apps or data from my device?

We may change or discontinue certain apps or content offered in the Windows Store at any time, for any reason. Sometimes, we do so to respond to legal or contractual requirements. In cases where your security is at risk, or where we’re required to do so for legal reasons, you may not be able to run apps or access content that you previously acquired or purchased a license for. In cases where we remove a paid app from your Windows 8 Consumer Preview device not at your direction, we may refund to you the amount you paid for the license. Some apps may also stop working if you update or change your Windows 8 Consumer Preview device, or if you attempt to use those apps on a Windows 8 Consumer Preview device with different features or processor type. You are responsible for backing up the data that you store in apps that you acquire via the Windows Store, including content you upload using those apps. If the Windows Store, an app, or any content is changed or discontinued, your data could be deleted or you may not be able to retrieve data you have stored. We have no obligation to return data to you. If sign in information or other data is stored with an expiration date, we may also delete the data as of that date.

Also,

Originally Posted by Microsoft Windows Store ToS

What are my rights for apps I get from the Windows Store?

All apps made available through the Windows Store are licensed, not sold, to you. In most cases, that license includes the right to install and use your app on up to five Windows 8 Consumer Preview enabled devices simultaneously. If you attempt to install an app on more than five devices, it may be deactivated automatically from one of these devices, so that no more than five instances are activated at any one time. In limited circumstances, such as when a developer designates the app as eligible for use on only a certain type of device, apps may not install on other types of devices. We provide the name of the application provider licensing each app, which may be Microsoft or a third party app provider. All apps are licensed to you under the Standard Application License Terms at the end of these Terms of Use, unless the provider of an app provides you with access to separate terms or agreements in the app listing page, in which case those terms will apply. Those terms may also include a privacy policy. When a third party is the application provider, Microsoft is an agent of the third party that provides the app to you, but we aren’t a party to the license between you and the app provider, and our privacy statement doesn’t apply to treatment of information you may exchange with the app provider when using the app. In such cases, Microsoft isn’t responsible for the app or its content, your use of the app, any warranties or claims relating to the app, or customer support for the app. But, your relationship with Microsoft and your use of the Windows Store will still be governed by Software License Terms for your Windows operating system and these Terms of Use.

Windows 8 Store ToS: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...e-terms-of-use

Everyone is the boss of Windows 8 except the user this is included but not limited to: Microsoft, Government, Developers.

You are nothing but their pet as of Windows 8. Rollover and be a good boy.

[EncryptedBytes]

I plan on just slapping it into a VM for several months.