Windows 10 has had a largely positive, if slightly quiet, reception since its launch a few days ago, but some negative reactions have arose due to a number of questionable privacy policies. Hundreds of online commenters have been complaining about default settings in Windows 10 which are believed to compromise user privacy.
Much of the ire has, as explained by the Guardian, been provoked by the personalized advertisements embedded in the new operating system. Upon installation of Windows 10, the user is handed a unique advertising ID that Microsoft can then use to collect data in order to personalize advertisements that the user sees when web browsing.
Personalized advertisements also appear during usage of some Windows Store apps and the built-in game Solitaire, which is now a freemium game with video advertisements. Windows 10 also collects user information for teaching the personal digital assistant Cortana.
Though most of this data collection can be opted-out of, gaming website Rock Paper Shotgun‘s Alec Meer has insisted that “Microsoft simply aren’t making it clear enough that they’re doing this, how it might affect you and how to opt out”. These privacy policies are also in notable contrast to the stance of Apple CEO Tim Cook – who, two months ago, indirectly accused Google and Facebook of lax attitudes to user privacy.