EU Privacy group not happy with changes coming in Windows 10

Feb 21, 2017 06:33 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has already announced a series of changes in the Windows 10 Creators Update that would give users more control over their data, but as far as the European privacy watchdog is concerned, this still isn’t enough for the software giant to reach the transparency level it’s supposed to.

The group called Article 29 Working Party, which consists of members representing the 28 privacy organizations on the Old Continent whose purpose is to enforce data protection laws, says that Microsoft must provide users of Windows 10 with more information on how it processes the data it collects from their computers.

“In light of the above, which are separate to the results of ongoing inquiries at a national level, even considering the proposed changes to Windows 10, the working party remains concerned about the level of protection of users’ personal data,” the group said in a statement according to a report from Reuters, while also acknowledging that Microsoft has already expressed its intention to collaborate with privacy organizations.

Privacy changes coming in the Creators Update

Microsoft’s privacy changes in the Windows 10 Creators Update include a new setup experience that allows users to configure more settings, such as location, speech recognition, and diagnostics.

Furthermore, Redmond is also tweaking the telemetry settings in Windows 10, explaining that users can always change them at a later time according to their preferences.

But the European privacy group says that Microsoft only needs to explain how it uses the data it collects from users, as there were concerns that such information can be shared with third parties for advertising purposes.

“Microsoft should clearly explain what kinds of personal data are processed for what purposes. Without such information, consent cannot be informed, and therefore, not valid,” the EU organization said.

Microsoft hasn’t yet issued a statement on this, but given the fact that the Creators Update is just around the corner, there’s little chance to see any privacy changes coming in this release. However, considering that the firm has already expressed its intention to work with involved parties, more tweaks could be made in the coming updates, such as the Redstone 3 due in the fall.