See What Data Microsoft Collects About You and Put an End to It (Maybe)
Privacy-minded users will be delighted to hear about Microsoft’s latest addition to Windows 10, which adds transparency in terms of data collection and finally allows users to see what information is sent to Microsoft for analysis. The Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer makes it easier for users to see what data Microsoft is collecting, but it cannot really help users in the first place by preventing the company from getting that data. To stop collecting data, you’ll need a different version of Windows 10 that you definitely won’t be able to buy from your local Best Buy store.
Before you can see any data, you need to enable data view. Visit your settings, privacy settings and diagnostics and reviews. Enable the view data option to give the app access to your data sent to Microsoft. The viewer is currently available to Windows Insider users, but should become more available after the update is released to consumers.
Stopping data collection is difficult
But let’s say you are against sending any data to Microsoft – correct opinion if you are concerned about the safety of your personal usage habits. There is one way to avoid the data collection issue, but if you are unwilling to opt out of future updates, the workaround is probably not the best solution. You’re going to have to use a specific version of Windows 10 that lacks the benefits of regular user-friendly updates or features, and it can force you to reconsider whether your data privacy is worth the new bells and whistles.
While Microsoft sells multiple versions of Windows 10 to both consumers and businesses, only Windows 10 Enterprise Edition has the ability to prevent data transfers to Microsoft. Want your own enterprise edition of Windows 10? Well, the correct activated version is only available if you activate it through Microsoft’s Volume Licensing program, which is meant for enterprises, not nerds.
However, you can test the Windows 10 Enterprise Edition if you have a Windows 10 Pro license on your PC. All you need is the KMS (Key Management Service) installation key that Microsoft provides to connect client machines to company-managed KMS host machines.
If you don’t have a corporate edition of Windows 10, or can’t access a legitimate product key, you can use the previously mentioned key to update an already activated Windows 10 Pro computer. Note: upgrading with this key means that you will be using an unactivated version of Windows 10.
This means you will receive security updates, but you can skip user-friendly updates that add new features (such as the Fall Creator’s Update). If you like it and just want to prevent your Windows PC from spying on you, update your version of Windows 10 with a key provided by Microsoft. Go to Settings> Update & Security> Activation and insert your Windows 10 Enterprise activation key.