https://www.techspot.com/news/97535-windows-11-spyware-machine-out-users-control.html * User iconLogin * [ ] * A search icon The word TechSpot * Trending + Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti + 5800X3D vs. Ryzen 7600X + Stable Diffusion How-To + 7900 XTX vs RTX 4080 + PC Buying Guide * Features + Tech Culture + Must Reads + Hardware + Software + Gaming + Gaming Bench + Tips & Tricks * Reviews + CPU + Graphics Cards + Laptops + Storage + Monitors + More Reviews * The Best + Best CPUs + Best Graphics Cards + Best Monitors + Best Software + Best SSD + Best PC Speakers * Downloads + Latest Updates + Popular Apps + Software We Recommend + Drivers * Product Finder Search [ ] * Forums + Join TechSpot Elite + New Posts + Latest Comments * Jobs * Microsoft * Security * windows * privacy Windows 11: a spyware machine out of users' control? Microsoft's latest OS starts collecting telemetry as soon as the boot process ends By Alfonso Maruccia February 8, 2023, 9:58 20 comments Windows 11: a spyware machine out of users' control? TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. WTF?! For the past few years, Microsoft has been accused of regularly violating user privacy. Compared to the classic NT-based systems, Windows 10 and especially Windows 11 are two completely different beasts in this regard. How much data is a Windows operating system sending to online servers? According to a recent video from The PC Security Channel (TPCSC), the most up-to-date version of the Redmond OS is a real "talker" when it comes to telemetry and other data about users' preferences and online behavior. Titled, "Has Windows become Spyware?," the video describes how live capture sessions can show online communication between Windows and external servers. The video creator used Wireshark, a well-known (and free) network protocol analyzer useful to see what is happening on a network "at a microscopic level." Using Wireshark to check what a freshly-installed copy of Windows 11 was doing on a brand-new laptop, what they saw was eye-opening to say the least: just after the first boot, Windows 11 was quick to try and reach third-party servers with absolutely no prior user permission or intervention. By using a Wireshark filter to analyze DNS traffic, TPCSC found that Windows 11 was connecting to many online services provided by Microsoft including MSN, the Bing search engine and Windows Update. Many third-party services were present as well, as Windows 11 had seemingly important things to say to the likes of Steam, McAfee, and Comscore ScorecardResearch.com, which is a market research effort that "studies and reports on Internet trends and behavior." Many of the Windows 11 initial DNS queries where designed to provide "telemetry" data to market research companies, advertising providers and even geolocation-related domains like geo.prod.do with no permission or web browsing activity needed. The latest and greatest in the Windows line of operating systems is seemingly designed to "spy" anyone and everything from the get-go, TPCSC suggests. As a comparison, or perhaps as a critical note about the current state of privacy in the Windows ecosystem, the YouTube channel tried the same packet-sniffing activity via Wireshark on Windows XP, which was first released in 2001. According to their analysis, Windows XP doesn't even know what the word "telemetry" means: the first DNS traffic from the freshly-installed OS was to try and contact the Windows Update service, and that's all. No market research, no browsing tracking, nothing at all. Some people are trying to justify Windows 11's behavior as the lesser evil in a technology world full of third-party services and online features that need to be fed data to work as intended. Answering to comments on the video, TPCSC is still warning the most knowledgeable and privacy-aware users that even when telemetry is turned off via third-party utilities, Windows 11 is still "sending things" online. 20 comments 527 likes and shares Share this article: Find Your Dream Tech Job Related Stories * Compact custom version of Windows 11 released * Recent Windows update wants to snoop through users' Office data * Windows 11 keeps adding users, but Windows 10 is still king * A hacker tried to sell the personal information of nearly every Austrian citizen, police say Featured on TechSpot * Microsoft Defender update kills Windows shortcuts, program files * First Patch Tuesday of 2023 includes fixes for 98 security flaws and one zero-day bug Most Read * 32 comments Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU Review * 15 comments Why Steam Deck Is One of the Most Significant PC Gaming Moments in Years * 15 comments The Best AMD X670E Motherboards: 22 Board Roundup, VRM Thermal Test * 29 comments Compact custom version of Windows 11 released Load Comments 20 ... User Comments: 20 Got something to say? Post a comment Load all comments... Discuss * 11 Getting on the internet via XP Professional is not happening with the basic XP Pro. I have checked and rechecked and con... * 13 Window 7 Freezes During "Windows Startup" Screen * 7 Windows 10 Weird RAM Usage * 18 Windows 10 Pro update to Windows 11 Pro * 13 Where is my Snipping tool? * Recently commented stories * Jump to forum mode Add your comment to this article You need to be a member to leave a comment. Join thousands of tech enthusiasts and participate. TechSpot Account Sign up for free, it takes 30 seconds. Already have an account? Login now. Main Sections * Tech News * Features * Reviews * The Best * Downloads * Product Finder * Tech Jobs Popular Features * How to Run Stable Diffusion * Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Review * 5800X3D vs. Ryzen 7600X * AMD Radeon 7900 XTX Review * Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Review * Top 10 Hacks for Microsoft Excel * microSD and SD Card Buying Guide Top Downloads * Opera GX * DS4Windows * iTunes Download * Cinebench * Minecraft Download * Fortnite Download * Windows Installation Tool Subscribe to the TechSpot Newsletter [ ] [Subscribe] Follow TechSpot * * * * * TECHSPOT : Tech Enthusiasts, Power Users, Gamers TechSpot is a registered trademark. About Us Ethics Statement Terms of Use Privacy Policy Change Ad Consent Advertise (c) 2023 TechSpot, Inc. All Rights Reserved.