Is DirectX 12 really worth your privacy and freedom?
One of the biggest problems with proprietary software isn’t the “black box” nature of its inner workings, but the nature of the agreements users give their consent to.
When you begin using a new piece of software or an online service, how often have you actually read the terms of use and privacy policy? If you’re like me, you’ve all too often scrolled to the bottom in clicked “I agree,” without giving it a second thought. “Give me my software experience! Here, have my firstborn child; I need to be able to do this one thing!” We’ve all done it, and few of us are proud of it.
For all of the outrage surrounding services that have wronged users, most of it was hidden within the dark depths of an unread end user license agreement, user agreement, or privacy policy. As the saying goes, if you want to do something evil, hide it in something boring.
After reading Microsoft’s user and license agreements for Windows 10, that hinted evil is very boring.
Most of the Microsoft Software License Terms document for Windows 10 basically sets all kinds of legal restrictions on your use of the software. The restrictions are draconian by many counts, and actually look like the polar opposite of rights granted in free software licenses.
The real concerning details are in the Microsoft Privacy Statement (http://bit.ly/1WmkAHd). The standard set of data collection applies here: If you use Microsoft’s services, they have to collect any data you supply in order to deliver them to the recipients, make them searchable by Cortana, and provide alerts and smart searches.
The problem with this is that Microsoft says it shares that data “with Microsoft-controlled affiliates and subsidiaries; with vendors working on our behalf; when required by law or to respond to legal process; to protect our customers; to protect lives; to maintain the security of our services; and to protect the rights or property of Microsoft.”
So, if you let Cortana see your emails, an FBI subpoena can get them, too. Sounds great. My favorite part is that if Microsoft has to protect its property and rights, it will happily share your data. Tell me more, oh electronic scroll of impending doom.
I opened up the Windows heading to look at what the OS itself had in store. Sure, Bing and Outlook.com collect your stuff, but I wanted to know what the OS itself did. What I found in the device-encryption paragraph under the Security and Safety Features subheader made the previous statement about information-sharing chilling:
Device encryption helps protect the data stored on your device by encrypting it using BitLocker Drive Encryption technology. When device encryption is on, Windows automatically encrypts the drive Windows is installed on and generates a recovery key. The BitLocker recovery key for your device is automatically backed up online in your Microsoft OneDrive account.
You read that right: Microsoft stores a backup copy of your encryption key on your OneDrive account that they can give to the FBI or anyone else they deem worthy if it is in Microsoft’s interests. What’s not to love?
Needless to say, this flies in the face of the very purpose of encryption. Why lock your house if you store a spare key (along with your name, address, shopping habits, and late-night browsing preferences) in some shopkeeper’s locked box for him to do with as he pleases?
There is hope: Although TrueCrypt was abandoned by its original authors, the code has been audited and deemed good, without back doors. I for one won’t be considering Windows 10 or BitLocker secure.
From maximumpc
from http://bit.ly/1NY0aTn
