Dive Brief:
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More than 70% of Microsoft customers choose the "Full" option for Windows 10 privacy setting, which sends browser data, app and feature usage, and inking and typing data to Microsoft, according to ZDNet.
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The ability to choose Full or Basic privacy settings was part of recent changes the company introduced in the Windows 10 Creators Update released in April. Changes also included updating its privacy statement, publishing information about the data it collects and improving in-product information about privacy in Windows 10. Marisa Rogers, Microsoft privacy officer for the Windows Devices Group, told ZDNet that 23 million people using Microsoft accounts have visited the online privacy dashboard since it was launched.
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With its privacy enhancements, regulators have also eased off Microsoft. French data protection authority CNIL said it no longer plans to sue Microsoft over privacy violations, according to the report.
Dive Insight:
Microsoft wants to make sure regulators stay happy, especially as General Data Protection Regulation is set to go into effect next year. The company had faced a barrage of complaints from various organizations about its privacy practices ever since Windows 10 first launched.
Complaints stated that the company collected numerous types of data and did not provide a clear description of what it collects or have a clear explanation of why such data was collected.
But while the changes the company made with the Creator’s Update appear to have appeased several EU-based agencies threatening to sue Microsoft over its privacy practices, whether or not users are making their privacy selections consciously is less clear.
The company collects the most data under the Full setting, which is set by default. Therefore, it’s difficult to say if customers are purposely choosing to send Microsoft a variety of data or if they simply haven’t taken the time to change their selection to Basic.
After all, though Microsoft said 23 million people have visited the privacy dashboard, more than 400 million devices run Windows 10. The company still has a ways to go before it sees widespread user engagement with privacy settiing.
