Last month I got a bit worked up about people’s overly grateful reaction to Microsoft’s eagerness to get their new Windows 10 operating system onto as many computers as possible, even if it meant giving it away for free to millions of otherwise paying customers. Since then, I’ve been happy to see a number of people raising the same concerns that I had about privacy and whether this is a step too far.
The pendulum of public opinion in some circles now seems to be predictably swinging into outrage mode that Microsoft would make “default” the settings that give them and their customers all kinds of personal data about us. Then others counter that Google and friends have been doing this for years – particularly if you use a typical smart phone. Of course this is true, but the removal of one more safe harbor for your personal data is still bad news.
So now you have two main camps of people: those who say “who cares about letting go of some control if it makes life a little easier for me today,” and others who say to stop ALL data sharing whatever the cost. Probably the most level-headed article I’ve read about this lately spells out “What Windows 10’s ‘Privacy Nightmare’ Settings Actually Do” and leaves it to the now better-informed reader to decide. I wish there was more of this. I don’t advocate for eliminating all data sharing or releasing it all, but informing the public so they can decide. What bugs me about our culture’s new “a-little-concerned-but-not-really” acceptance of Big Data learning more and more about us is how insidious it all is. We need to understand what’s being shared, and it should be easier to choose whether that’s ok. We also need people to understand the implications of sharing their data before doing so. (A few good videos explaining this are linked in a previous article I wrote on digital privacy.)
Of course, realistically, most people won’t be getting better informed, so we’re left with trusting the tech companies to be good stewards of our info and to advise us appropriately on whether or not we should be allowing them to turn on the latest bell & whistle that makes their app shine, while paying their stock holders dividends from selling the data they harvest. …so yeah, that’s also not a good option.
It therefore seems to me that the only option remaining to deal with this New Reality is some kind of federal legislation that requires companies to make it clear what data is being shared and to give you an easy way to opt-in/out, all in one clearly marked place. This would be in contrast to what Windows 10 is doing now, where you have to read a number of articles on the topic just to find all the various locations around the OS where settings can be turned off, and then you’re unsure what the implications of doing so even are. I hate the idea of asking for more government legislation, but I can’t see any other way, short of just rolling over and living in a privacy-free society. (Where are all the political conservatives complaining about this? If you’re worried about the government coming to take your guns, or otherwise invading your life, then telling them anything they could ever want to know about you, every second of every day, would certainly make it a lot easier for them, and harder for you!)
The other problem I have with this is a practical one: If you’re setting up a new Windows 10 computer (or other device that shares your data) for someone, then what choices should you make about this for them? Is the expectation that you will produce a fully-functional Windows 10 machine? If so, then you have to leave on Cortana, and all the other data sharing stuff. But is it really ethical to give someone a Windows 10 computer with everything enabled when they don’t understand what compromises are being made? How can you the Computer Person be expected to sit someone down who knows NOTHING about these things and spend hours bringing them up to speed on the implications of sharing/not sharing their data and using/not using each software feature, so that they can choose themselves? It’s just not a viable business model. But if you don’t explain it to them, then there’s no GOOD way to set up a machine for someone else – whether you enable things or not, you’re potentially depriving them of the experience they’re expecting, and leave yourself open for complaints, or worse.
Ugh.