Reminder! If You Haven't yet Turn Off Windows 10 Keylogger Now

Do you know? Microsoft has the power to track every single word you type or say to its digital assistant Cortana while using its newest operating system, Windows 10.
Last fall, we reported about a 'keylogger' that Microsoft openly put into its Windows 10 Technical Preview saying the company 'may collect voice information' as well as 'typed characters.'
It was thought that the company would include the keylogger only within the Technical Preview of Windows 10, just for testing purpose. But, the thought was Wrong!
The keylogger made its ways to Windows 10 public release offered by Microsoft for free due to which Windows 10 gained millions of adoption in just a few days after its first roll out back in July – but the free upgrade is not always free.

Yes, besides various privacy issues, there is a software component that tracks your inputs using your keyboard, voice, screen, mouse, and stylus, however, it is a bit more complicated than you thought.

Windows 10's Keylogger is More than Just a Keylogger

The component is not actually a keylogger in terms of malware.
It is more than that, as Microsoft openly says…

"When you interact with your Windows device by speaking, [handwriting], or typing, Microsoft collects speech, inking, and typing information – including information about your Calendar and People [contacts]…"

If that makes you feel creepy then need not to worry, because the good news is — You can Turn Off this Keylogger.

Here's How You can Turn Off the Keylogger

• Click on the Start Menu, then open Settings.
• Click on Privacysettings, which you'll find in the very last row of the menu.
• Once you are in the Privacy menu, click on General
• Under 'Send Microsoft info about how I write to help use improve typing and writing in the future' – Turn it to Off.
• Now move ahead to the 'Speech, Inking and Typing' menu and click Stop getting to know me.This will help you turn off the speech tracking through dictation or Cortana.

Due to several privacy issues built into Windows 10, Microsoft has gained a bad reputation.

Over a week ago, the company also introduced Windows 10 data collecting and user behavior tracking features to Windows 7 and Windows 8 as well, which might be a major privacy concern for many users.
However, you can stop Windows 7 and Windows 8 from spying on you:

How to Stop Windows 7 and Windows 8 from Spying on You?

The bigger question for users who are uncomfortable with these changes is: How do I stop them?
The best way to prevent Windows 7 and 8 from tracking you is to not install the latest updates. Unlike Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8 updates are not mandatory, so you can choose not to download the updates.
However, if you have already installed these updates on your computers, you can remove them completely from your systems and the operating system will not automatically reinstall them without your permission.
Go to Control Panel > View installed updates > Remove all the four updates.
If you want to eliminate these updates faster, you can launch a command prompt window with administrator privileges and then type in the following commands one by one:

CODE
wusa /uninstall /kb:3068708 /quiet /norestart
wusa /uninstall /kb:3022345 /quiet /norestart
wusa /uninstall /kb:3075249 /quiet /norestart
wusa /uninstall /kb:3080149 /quiet /norestart

Once done, you can right-click on any updates shown by Windows Update and choose "Hide Update" to make sure that these updates won't be reinstalled in case you reboot your system.

Reference: The Hacker News