Privacy Helper for Windows 10
During my evaluation of Windows 10 I’ve cobbled together a script that disables most known anti-privacy features in the new system. It also removes the unnecessarily installed default Modern apps. The script was designed with a professional environment in mind, but applies equally well to home users, and most settings will apply to all editions of Windows, not just Pro/Enterprise It’s alarming but not surprising that we’ve gotten to this point - Windows has always served the agenda of its maker before that of its user. This edition ships with a significant set of end user facing UI improvements, but its goals are not different. They simply take advantage of the current state of the art and the current anti-privacy climate. The script can’t be considered complete as not all anti-privacy features are documented by Microsoft, and future updates will doubtless add more. list of changes - comment each section of the script out if one of these is undesired:
- Stops / Disables intrusive diagnostics services
- Removes diagnostic scheduled tasks
- Removes OneDrive
- Removes access to the Windows Store
- Removes access to Cortana
- Block connection to Microsoft Accounts
- Disables WiFi Sense (what’s this?)
- Disables Windows Update peer to peer (what’s this?)
- Requires Ctrl-Alt-Del to log on
- Blocks “Add features to Windows 10”
- Removes unnecessary apps (they can be reinstalled from the Store if desired, assuming you’ve left it enabled)