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Periodic Scanning

Posted: 30 Apr 2017, 17:05
by yogi
From time to time I check my laptop for viruses. This morning's check showed no signs of anything bad, but 407,457 objects were checked on my WIndows 10 computer. Dang, that's a lot of files. :bleh:

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 30 Apr 2017, 19:13
by pilvikki
no kidding!

the same thing when one goes to look at the history and in a day or two end up with pages and pages. like, did i do all that...? :think:

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 01 May 2017, 04:21
by yogi
Here's something to ponder. I never use the built-in Internet Explorer (Edge on Win 10). There are a few other browsers I much prefer. As you must know browsers collect information about every place you visit above and beyond the history. Everything on a given web page gets saved, and if you visit a lot of web pages you can have thousands upon thousands of "objects" saved in your browser. From time to time I clean out these saved files from all my browsers just to free up the memory on my computer. Internet Explorer's memory ends up having more saved items it in that do all the other browsers I use combined. That means Microsoft's Internet Explorer is tracking me even though I do not use it to surf the web.

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 02 May 2017, 13:05
by pilvikki
well, that's just charming. i guess i'd better go do some house keeping... :bleh:

thanx!

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 02 May 2017, 15:58
by yogi
Microsoft claims, unlike other browsers, that theirs IE/Edge is an integral part of the operating system. Maybe I can buy that, but I don't get why they are documenting what I'm doing in somebody else's browser.

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 03 May 2017, 13:38
by pilvikki
yes, seriously!!! what are they hoping to uncover? my shopping habits? my terrorist connections? (IF they were that diligent, we'd never have terrorist attacks!) what? :bleh: i do very little on line shopping, maybe $50 worth a year, so they're wasting their time there, too.

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 03 May 2017, 16:46
by yogi
I'm pretty sure MIcrosoft and the intelligence community are working hand in hand. It's not the kind of thing they want to brag about, but they do have some unique insights into the kind of things people do with their computers.

As far as tracking web sites go, I am not totally sure that Microsoft is doing the same thing that Facebook, for example, is doing. Microsoft doesn't need to sell your browsing history to potential advertisers, although you give them that right when you license use of their software. A few people have asked Microsoft why they are doing this kind of tracking, but nobody has been able to get a straight answer from Redmond. Thus there is a lot of conjecture and conspiracy theory directed at Microsoft's business practices. I personally think there is little to worry about from nefarious intentions on their part. Primarily they suffer from stupidity; deception, not so much.

Re: Periodic Scanning

Posted: 03 May 2017, 19:29
by pilvikki
perhaps one day it will all be revealed... not too sure i'd want to hear it.