14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 might ignore user settings and continue logging activity history even when the feature is specifically disabled, according to new user findings.
As reported on reddit, turning off the Activity History in Settings on Windows 10 doesn’t make any difference, as the data is still collected and uploaded to Microsoft.
And figuring out this happens is quite easy, all thanks to the way Activity History works.
Basically, Activity History is the engine that powers a new Windows 10 feature called Timeline. With Windows Timeline, users can save snapshots of their activity, including documents, tab browsers, and running apps, and restore them at any point within the next 30 days.
Users are allowed to disable Activity History from Settings > Privacy > Activity History, and Windows 10 offers three different options for those who want to keep it running by control their data: store activity history on the device, upload it to Microsoft, or only log data from specific accounts.
Data still uploaded despite feature being disabled
But as discovered in the said thread, even if all these options are disabled, which means that Activity History not only that shouldn’t collect any information, but it shouldn’t upload it to Microsoft’s servers either, user data is still sent to the software giant.
And oddly enough, there’s an easy way to see this. When logging in to the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard website, which Microsoft is specifically offering on the account page in order to manage the data stored by the company, users can still see data uploaded by Activity History during the time it was supposed to be off.
At this point, it’s not yet clear why this feature is ignoring user settings, but without a doubt, it’s a privacy issue that Microsoft needs to resolve as soon as possible. Needless to say, the software giant hasn’t offered any information until now and everyone at Microsoft has remained tight-lipped, so it’ll be interesting to see how the company deals with privacy concerns this time.