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    Home / News / Business News / Microsoft gets a French reprimand against excessive data tracking
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    Microsoft gets a French reprimand against excessive data tracking

    Microsoft gets a French reprimand against excessive data tracking

    By Vaneet Randhawa
    Jul 24, 2016
    12:59 pm

    What's the story

    The French National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) gave a formal notice to Microsoft regarding Windows 10 security and privacy concerns.

    In a firm notice, Microsoft Corporation was told to "stop collecting excessive data and tracking browsing by users without their consent."

    Microsoft needs to comply within 3 months.

    CNIL's main concern is that Microsoft is making mass surveillance easy for the government.

    Data

    Windows 10 under CNIL scanner since its launch

    France's data privacy agency CNIL had started investigating Windows 10 soon after the operating system was launched in July 2015 at the behest of "media reports and letters from several French political parties".

    Similar notices

    CNIL's reprimands to Google and Facebook

    In 2015, the CNIL issued similar warnings against US tech companies against excessive browser tracking.

    Google was ordered to extend Europe's "right to be forgotten" rule to cover all Google sites.

    Earlier this year, it directed Facebook to end tracking the web browsing of non-users, according the company 3 months to comply with its orders.

    Concerns

    Points of worry for the CNIL

    The CNIL found that Microsoft was monitoring apps being downloaded and the time spent on each one.

    Further, Microsoft used cookies to push personalized ads without accurately notifying users or enabling them to opt out.

    Moreover, the 4-character PIN system employed to reach Microsoft services was insecure, because there was no upper-limit on the number of attempts.

    23 Jul 2016

    What Microsoft had to say

    Microsoft vice-president David Heiner told the media that Microsoft "will work closely with the CNIL over the next few months to understand the agency's concerns fully and to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable."

    He also said that Microsoft was looking to sign a new EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, a more stringent framework that would replace "safe harbour" agreement.

    Data

    Safe harbour agreement

    The safe harbour agreement was made between the "EC and the US government essentially promised to protect EU citizens' data if transferred by American companies to the US." It is no longer considered valid by Europe.

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