Mh i read about that yesterday and that its meanwhile debunked.
By Boris Schneider Johne 
https://twitter.com/Win10Boris

"The passage with the " fake play " is here: http://www.microsoft.com/de-de/servicesagreement/ ... -
 and that concerns not Windows 10 but the online services .

Even a Hardware page refers to that that, it is to prevent Xbox games players gamers from cheating, what would make sense since you now have the ability to stream the Xbox games to PC.

The page on which i refer to can be found here
http://www.pcwelt.de/news/Windows-10-durchsucht-PC-nicht-nach-Raubkopien-Verwirrung-9783137.html

its german but you should be able to translate it using the bing functions.
Hope this helps. 

So then what you are saying is that the initial reports are miss leading or just miss information about Windows 10?

So very hard to determine what's the truth these days.  I'm sure it makes most folks just not want to bother, read or even listen. 

While the story has been bunked and debunked, it would seem Microsoft has not exactly been up front with its intentions re: pirated games AND software.  While MS has not categorically stated that it will not pursue users of pirated Adobe Photoshop, etc, it has not denied it would not pass on the information to relevant companies and/or authorities.  I mean, why wouldn't a company that's been affected by and is 100% opposed to software piracy want to do what it can to bring pirates and users alike to justice?

Thing is, various programs have been developed to counter MS' snooping and prying, and I have no doubt somebody will come up with something to counter this, if they haven't already..  In any event, I keep reading/hearing about reasons why I'm reluctant to upgrade to Win 10.  I have no pirated software or games, and I certainly have nothing X-Box related, but frankly, I just don't like the idea that MS can use Win 10 to scan peoples PCs for whatever and use the date how?  My biggest concern in that regard would be being bombarded with spam based on the contents of my PC and emails, etc.

Yeah, I know, MS can probably look at this or that in other OSes, but Win 10 default is the first to give them a virtual open backdoor to which they can access at any time to do whatever.  Nah, the more I think about it the more I'm thinking it's not for me.

I mean, the last thing I need is for MS to trawl through my p0rn stash and tell all my exes I still have nude piccies of them.

@starkers
No worries you would not be bombarded with spam since the mail app isnt working atm
When it comes to snooping around MS does snoop since windows7 and those workarounds do exist since that time.
If you have nothing to hide then you should not be worried the only thing to be worried about is, if the so called improvements actually serve you and if one is willing to throw away a perfectly fine 7 or 8 for windows10 free upgrade.

I upgraded both of my machines to 10 and so far im a bit annoyed by it
Not only does the delayed start of desktop apps still exists, there isnt even a option for you to choose if you want a delay, same as in windows8.x, to eliminate the delay one actually has to tweak the registry to put the delay on 0.1 seconds
This was and has been reported multiple times during preview but 0 F´s were given and nothing was done about it.
Considering that Windows10 isnt faster than windows8 in fact its even slower has me thinking if i might return to windows8.1
If i run a "Jafo rig" i dont want to be forced on potato desktop start perfomance. 

Some steam games do not work with windows10 atm unless you repair each of them, i´ve ran into problems installing DirectX10 where Windows10 stated that the cab file isnt recognized and has no stamp and is therefore unsave to use. Forcing it by tweaking the services worked though.

I have never seen a OS that needed that much tweaking to work the way you want it to work, a good example is the explorer, it always starts at the quick access menu and I had to pin my computer to it to get instant access or make shortcuts for everything that is important, so I could acess folders and drives by only using the keyboard (quickly.)
Im just glad that i do mainly use the search function to acess all of my progz, otherwise i would go insane using the old Startmenu, for me thats the biggest downgrade since windows8.1, i hate it same as the windows7 menu, unless the 7 menu is skinned nicely for instance by, Mechos by Xiandi, but that only served as eyecandy and isnt available yet for plate 10.

Ohh and Cortana is on the same level as a two year old when it comes to german language, but that may change once the database is filled.
It is pretty good in searching Pr0n on command though atm.

For everyone that has not yet upgraded, i recommend to wait a while till the hard bugs are wiped out.
But that is just my personal opinion atm that may change in the near future once i get a good Performance increase on Games with DX12.

 

It'll be quite a while yet before this rig switches to 10.

Either way, boot times are irrelevant as this system is on 24/7.

Ever since 8 came out people have been fooled/duped by MS with regards to boot times.  NO, the OS has NOT finished booting just because you see desktop icons earlier in the sequence, and no, Stardock's apps do not add seconds...minutes...hours to the boot time.  What they CAN do, however is expose the reality...

Yer lucky you have a 2 year old in German....over this end of the pond we have nothing....clearly Aussie English is to furren for UK English or that 'other' English the US likes to use...

So the mail app isn't working yet, it doesn't mean I wouldn't be spammed via Outlook or Live Mail.  Besides, that's hardly the point!  Microsoft has the most open backdoor it has ever had, and I seriously doubt all these 'snoop' features in Win 10 are there solely to benefit users.  And having nothing to hide?   What if MS suddenly decides legally purchased software and/or games from non-partners can no longer be run on its OS?  Can anyone categorically say that would never happen?  Given MS' thirst for power, wealth and having its software on as many machines possible, I wouldn't be giving any such guarantees.

Sadly [for users], MS has gone too far this time!  This 'open backdoor' gives it too much scope and has the potential to mess with a lot of users machines... not to mention their privacy and security.  This easy 'in' for MS is exactly the stuff hackers would be looking to exploit [they're probably working on it already], meaning users machines would never be safe... well not as safe from outside intrusion as the should be.

Nope, Win 10 loses its appeal every day for me... and to think I once looked forward to installing it.

I'm currently watching Windows Weekly on Twit/TV with Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley and they are confirming that the articles talking about the OP subject were taken out of context, for lack of a better explaination. 

I am now left with no confidence in what I read on the internet.

The also are talking about the Threshold 2 update that has been released to Windows 10 insiders which will be released to everone else in October.  Looks like I will be waiting to atleast Oct to update to Windows 10, if I decide to update.

and the Windows10 info has been particularly tricky.

Give 'em time... give 'em time.  Win 10 is still an infant and experiencing teething problems.... and the spam is yet to come.

As for the little 'blue drops', I don't get spam for those.  Apparently those 'emails' are generated on the basis of one's viewing habits and search terms.

So if you search for and look at a lot of p0rn to get a 'rise'......  well you get spam for little blue pills.

Given the way MS worded its EULA, not to mention that the snooping mechanisms are in place for MS to do much as it pleases, the context is as clear as mud... for want of a better explanation.

MS clearly states it will rifle through your files, emails and contacts to target you with specified ads.... meaning that it can rifle through your programs and games folders and make decisions on what it likes and doesn't like.   So 'if' one had illicit games/programs, well there could be repercussions for that individual.  Given the high levels of pirated Office and Windows, MS has been the most active software company in pursuing users of illicit copies, so why wouldn't it use its newly created backdoor to more easily seek out pirated games and software?

Yeah, I was just having a bit of fun when I said that..  Quite a lot of people get 'blue-pill-spam'.... and for those 'manhood enlargers', though most likely because of 'drive-bys' rather than their search/viewing habits.  I used to get them as well, but I got so tired of getting them I actively kept blocking the senders and domains until they ceased arriving. 

I still get occasional spam, but it's so rare nowadays and gets the same treatment... blocked and promptly deleted.   There's nothing I hate more than advertising, particularly unsolicited advertising/spam, which is why Win 10 is a long, long way off being installed of any of my machines.  Like why would I invite MS in the backdoor to pry into my personal data for the purpose of targeting me with fecken ads? 

I actually had a windows support call today since my store and my windows mail app was spitting out error codes.
I went and disabled services and reactivated them to get it to work.
The support was terrible (german support) they told me, that they would need to take remote control to see where the problem is and directly wanted me to open my wallet.
German support is horrible, i was very polite, even though she kept interrupting me constantly, when she then told me that i have to pay for support.
When i asked her if there is a known fix to the error code, that i could try, she just hung up on me. NOW THAT IS SERVICE
Anyway after half an hour, "Californian MS Technician" called me telling me that my system has cought there eye, because it was downloading and spreading maliciious files.
Im not making this up!
She told me that they need to look at my data and need to access my PC using remote control ASAP, and she wanted actual information from me.
My first thought was ok the german support was pissed, and pushed the ticket to someone else.
I played along, and asked her what she needs to establish the connection just to see how quickly the reaction was.

I was told to open System settings and to activate the remote. Shortly after i was told to pass along my IP and name...
When i asked the "support if that even was a legit support call" how they got to that information, she continued to tell me the same line over and over 
The so called "Californian support" asked me what kind of AV was running and if i could disable the firewall 
Beware of fraud...just saying



What i did to resolve my problem:
I went and formated my drive downloaded an up to date iso and installed everything over (again), this is something new for me since i hardly format my drives.
Guess its my own fault since i did not wait until the second update wave for windows10.

Once formated and reinstalled i went and set my language settings from german to US.
enabled the service (DNS-client to run with auto settings)
And allowed windows10 to talk, used the windows10 shutup10 tool to disable some functions quickly.
Now the mail and store app work guess the "no talk" isnt an option atm if you want everything to work.

Im not sure if it is related to the german version, but the mail app for instance now shows when i do have new mail it didnt do that before.
Also i had less problems installing DirectX this time.
Could been that my Iso download was partly corrupted, but it installed just fine back then.





 

That scam has been around for quite some time, I guess they've expanded their "employee" base to cover more languages.  Their mission is to collect as much information as possible about a person and the ip address, try to collect payments upfront, and get malware installed including but not limited to ransom-ware.

There's an important message there so I'll emphasize it for the casual readers (i.e., not "pointing" it at you benmanns   )

Microsoft will not call a person unexpectedly about computer issues.  Anyone doing so claiming to be from Microsoft is a thief.  Just hang up on them, the more you talk to them the more you're feeding them.

"This has been a public service post."

Yeah, some of 'em end up here as forum posts.

Seriously, though, some of these fraudsters can be very convincing.  One rang my mother on her mobile and bamboozled her with tech-speak, so the phone was handed to me.  Let's just say that the guy sounded very professional and knew what he was talking about... to anyone who wasn't tech savvy.   As soon as he asked for the IP address and AV details, etc, I knew it was bogus.... like if MS had really scanned her PC they'd already know all those details.... so no, I wasn't offering any information or disabling her AV or firewall.

A high pitched whistle would have been handy right about then

Nope...don't hang up ....leave the line active and go to the pictures.....

Really messes with their minds when you've engaged their phone with dead air.

Or put Pink Floyd's "I'm mad. I'm mad... I've always been mad" on constant loop... then go out for a meal, the movies and a bit of clubbing.

The strange thing is, that i was first talking to real Support, that is located in Germany.
I made the call. As i said they wanted me to pay for support which is normal- Germany has no free support (in german)

Anyway right after this call - close to 5 minutes later the phone rang and this Informed Lady was on the line.
She sounded a bit like Manjula from the simpsons (No offense)

Was that just a coincidence, i mean what are the odd´s for this to happen right after a real support talk.
It probably was just a coincidence though.

I knew it was a scam as soon as she asked for remote access.
I just wanted to know how well informed these guys are.
Quick example: i asked her where her office is located- she shot that answer at me like it was true
North California San Francisco

Also the way she guided me to enable remote and establish the conncetion via IP 
That was impressive - would i do not really know Computers, I would have definetely believed her to this point.
The only mistake the Lady made, was that she asked for the AV and the firewall, which was paradox since she claimed to have insights of my computer.

When i asked her about the legitimation of the call, she started over her lines and it got clear that she sort of read everything of a paper or the screen.
My english might not be the greatest but i do notice flaws and if someone becomes exited even if they speak english with accent.
Like i mentioned this could be an easy easy trap for some people.







 

The scamming profession is so sophisticated the typos/bad English are actually INTENTIONAL.  It is the way they weed out the intelligent respondent from the naïve/idiot/sucker....so they don't waste their time on people who will see through the bullshit.

All they want is the idiot [majority] who know no better...as they will be easy pickings.

Do I feel sorry that the home of the 'Nigerian scam' is also the home of ebola?  Not really.