There are concerns that Microsoft will play fast and loose with private, personal or corporate, proprietary information. A section of the 45 page End User Agreement is cited as rational.
Finally, we will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to …
For more detailed information see Microsoft’s privacy statement.
Since I have watched this industry grow, seen Microsoft eliminate all competitors, seen some interesting code sections that occasionally are leaked labeled “Codeblock for NSA 1” and “Codeblock for NSA 2”, and other creative things a mega for-profit corporation will do to maximize shareholder wealth, why is this surprising? Do we really think Google, Apple, Yahoo, AOL, or any other mega corporation entrusted with our private information actually keeps it private?
When you send an email and it is handled by 1,000 computers on the way to its destination do you really fantasize that none of them store it or offer it for sale to governments? Even encrypting email is impractical because most people are non-technical and can’t or won’t cooperate: encrypted email can be stored and decrypted in future years as technology improves, and even if your email arrives at your intended recipient encrypted and unexposed as soon as the recipient opens it on their insecure computer it can be compromised.
Nonetheless, if you are interested in trying to use Windows 10 but privacy is a concern, check out these articles:
Windows 10 is spying on almost everything you do – here’s how to opt out
By Zach Epstein (Jul 31, 2015 at 9:05 AM on BGR.com)
http://bgr.com/2015/07/31/windows-10-upgrade-spying-how-to-opt-out/
Windows 10: The first 5 things you need to do immediately after you install it
By Zach Epstein (Jul 30, 2015 at 9:30 AM on BGR.com)
http://bgr.com/2015/07/30/windows-10-upgrade-installation-settings/
Broken Windows Theory Microsoft’s Windows 10 is a privacy nightmare. Here’s how to protect yourself. (Aug 3, 2015 12:24 PM on Bitwise / slate.com)
By David Auerbach
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html