How To Switch Off Windows 10 'Keylogger'

Some media outlets have accused Microsoft of building creepy keylogger spyware into Windows 10. That's a somewhat overblown interpretation, but some users may want to take the option to turn off the relevant setting.

Traditionally references to "keyloggers" are about unauthorized programs installed on computers, often without the owner's knowledge and often through trickery. Such programs are designed to track everything the user types, then relay the data over the Internet to criminals who then look for passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account information.

In this case, however, the "keylogger" in Windows 10 is something Microsoft has been relatively open about. It was included in the various preview editions of Windows 10, but has now come back to public attention as it turns out to also be in the finished edition - something that wasn't widely expected.

Windows 10 Speech And Typing Monitored

According to Microsoft, "When you interact with your Windows device by speaking, writing (handwriting), or typing, Microsoft collects speech, inking, and typing information - including information about your Calendar and People (also known as contacts)."

It appears Microsoft isn't, as such, interested in the content of what people type. Instead, it's trying to get more data about factors such as the way people pronounce words or the speed at which they type. The idea for this "logging" is to improve services that are able to recognize human speech, including the ability to figure out what a user is typing in a search box and to be able to present solutions without the user having typed in the full question. Currently Google search does something similar to this with its search box, which is also based on similar semantics. (Source: microsoft.com)

With that said - because this technology deals very closely to privacy and security settings, the issue comes down to trust. For example, Microsoft may at some point begin using the data it collects for the purpose of advertising. If that were the case, then it would surely create an uproar.

Settings Menu Allows for Data Collection Opt-Out

The good news is that you can turn off multiple data collection features from within Windows 10's Settings app.

To do so:

1. Click Start and then click on the Settings app. If you don't see Settings in your Start Menu, you can access "All Settings" using the Action Center (speech balloon icon) near the clock. Once the Settings app is opened, go to the Privacy section.
    
2. Next, go to the General menu on the left of the screen. Turn off the feature that says "Send Microsoft info about how I write to help us improve typing and writing in the future."
    
3. Optional: Go to the Speech, Inking and Typing menu on the left of the screen. Click the button that says "Stop getting to know me". Note this will turn off any personalization for Cortana, which will make Cortana less useful. If you don't use Cortana, then you will probably want to disable this feature anyway.
    
4. Optional: Go to the Feedback and Diagnostics menu on the left of the screen.  Under "Feedback frequency", look for the heading that says "Windows should ask for my feedback" and set to "Never"; then, set "Diagnostic and Usage data" to "Basic".

Note that the steps above are not exhaustive, but will help with disabling the majority of data collected by Microsoft.

What's Your Opinion?

Is it fair to use the term "keylogger" and accuse Microsoft of shady practices? Do you trust Microsoft to use the data it collects for legitimate purposes that help improve Windows? Should Microsoft have made this feature opt-in rather than enable it by default?