CTV:  Digital privacy concerns ‘the new normal’ as users pay with personal information

Personal information is becoming the new currency of the digital age. Article by Peter Henderson (Canadian Press) for CTV TORONTO -- Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system has been praised for improving upon the flaws of its predecessor, but the company is facing widespread criticism for what some are calling invasive data collection.

Under its default privacy settings, Windows 10 tracks the way users type, what applications they use, their browsing history and other personal information.

Windows 10 also sends a weekly "activity update" on childrens' web browsing and computer history to their parents. Some parents have publicly described receiving those emails from Microsoft as "creepy," while others warn it could serve to humiliate teens at a vulnerable period in their lives.Users have to actively turn off the features to stop the tracking.

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment, but the company has said it uses the information to improve its services, and insists the information is anonymized.

Some experts argue that personal information is the new currency of the digital age, and the track-everything default settings of Microsoft's latest operating system are the new normal for digital privacy.

- Read more at CTV