When Windows 10 was first released, the OS was received well enough on its merits but users were quick to voice concerns regarding Microsoft's new data collection measures, some of which could not easily be turned off.
Over time, these concerns became more widespread and eventually caught the attention of certain government authorities. In October 2017, the Dutch data protection authority claimed Windows 10 violated local privacy laws. The year prior, France's data protection commission voiced similar concerns and ordered the software giant to "stop collecting excessive user data" without consent.
Microsoft has taken steps to address these concerns – including the implementation of a "privacy dashboard" – but they haven't managed to silence them entirely.
Microsoft will soon be offering Windows 10 users a new level of transparency in an upcoming OS update. The update will include the "Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer" feature which will let users see exactly what data the company is collecting about them.
According to The Verge, Microsoft collects data regarding your peripherals, movie consumption habits, installed apps and more. This update will be made available to Windows 10 Insiders sometime this week but there's no word on when it will be launching for everyone else.
Offering more transparency is definitely a step in the right direction for Microsoft but it's not a perfect solution to the problem. Many users likely won't be satisfied until the company ceases their data collection entirely.