Windows 10 Diagnostic Data Collection Settings Changing

• The latest Windows 10 insider preview build reduces the number of settings that control diagnostic data sent to Microsoft.
• If made generally available, the changes could affect organizations subject to privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• The early opportunity to review and prepare for these changes shows why organizations should monitor Insider preview builds.

Changes to a Windows 10 build, available via the Windows Insider Program (WIP) channel in Mar. 2020, shows a reduction in the number of settings that control the collection of diagnostic data. These settings control how much data about a user is sent to Microsoft on a regular basis, including how the user interacts with applications and the OS. Many organizations have legal or regulatory obligations to correctly configure these settings for devices they assign to users to protect users’ personal data.

Windows 10 Diagnostics Trade-offs

Windows 10 regularly sends a wide variety of diagnostic data to Microsoft, including sensitive data subject to the GDPR or other privacy regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). (For an illustration of the diagnostic data collected on a Windows 10 device, see “Windows 10 Diagnostic Data Sent at Full Setting”.) Microsoft uses diagnostic data (originally called telemetry data) to improve product features, determine whether to shift product features between editions, and market additional products and services to users. Microsoft also analyzes diagnostic data to determine when it is safe to deploy Windows 10 updates to specific classes of devices, such as Surface Pro 4 i7 models (which is sometimes referred to as version or update throttling).