Following Xiaomi, Microsoft has been accused of collecting huge amounts of data and sending it to various recipients, including Google and McAfee

By: Maksim Panasovskyi | 09.02.2023, 22:44

We recently wrote that Xiaomi, OPPO and realme smartphones powered by Chinese software are collecting sensitive data and sharing it both with the manufacturer and with third parties. And this happens regardless of privacy settings. Now Microsoft has been found guilty of a similar thing.

Here's What We Know

The authors of The PC Security Channel on YouTube found out that the Windows 11 operating system collects huge amounts of data and sends it not only to Microsoft, but also to other companies. They found that the data was being sent to addresses belonging to Google, MacAfee and market research firms.

What's both interesting and disturbing is that this Windows 11 activity was detected on a computer that was first connected to the internet. The only application installed was Wireshark for traffic analysis.

The operating system started communicating with various services, bypassing the request for permissions from the computer owner. Moreover, they had nothing to do with the features which appeared in Windows 11. By comparison, Windows XP only contacts Windows Update the first time it connects to the Internet.

Source: The PC Security Channel