Europe Expresses On-Going Concerns over Windows 10 Privacy

The European Union’s data protection organisations have again expressed concern over the default privacy settings in Microsoft’s Windows 10, despite the recent changes to the operating system made by the Redmond company. Under the banner of the Article 29 Working Party, the EU watchdogs have complained to Microsoft that Windows 10 users do not have enough controls to protect their own privacy and prevent their metadata from being collected for the purposes of both first- and third-party advertising.

In a letter addressed to Brendon Lynch and Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Chief Privacy Officer and Chief Executive Officer, respectively, the Article 29 Working Party writes [PDF]:

“Following the launch of Windows 10, a new version of the Windows operating system, a number of concerns have been raised, in the media and in signals from concerned citizens to the data protection authorities, regarding protection of your users’ personal data. The Article 29 Working Party has highlighted these issues in its previous letter from January 2016. 1 In its letter the Working Party expressed significant concerns about the default installation settings and an apparent lack of control for a user to prevent collection or further processing of data, as well as concerns about the scope of data that are being collected and further processed.

As stated before, these issues are essential with regard to the legal basis Microsoft is relying on for the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, especially in case of user consent. In light of these concerns a number of EU national data protection authorities have initiated detailed inquiries into the matter, namely the DPAs of Bavaria (Germany), France, Netherlands, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain and UK. Collaboration is coordinated by the DPA of Bavaria (Germany).”

The Article 29 Working Party does acknowledge, though, that Microsoft has demonstrated a willingness to co-operate with data protection authorities.

This is not the first time Microsoft has been chastised for its Windows 10 privacy policy; last Summer, France ordered the company to revise its data collection policy to protect users’ privacy.