Windows 8 SmartScreen

[Radicool]

Oh, and their SmartScreen feature is just another step on M$'s way to monopolize their software along with cloud-computing in order to know everything about their users and be able to view their data (Do you really think anyone claiming he's not accessing your 'private' data is honest? My OVH 'private' server got taken down although OVH 'didn't look at the data'. Bullshit.).

I saw this being said as well as numerous other comments about it. Can somebody please explain what it is, and how it is/might be bad? Under what circumstances will Microsoft access any data of yours?

I live in Australia and firbre optics is just one big step for government control over the internet. Bit paranoid, but I hate it when private is no longer private!

Any information about it is appreicated.

 

[Squiggy]

Oh, oh that's my post ヾ(＾∇＾)

Windows SmartScreen is a new safety feature in Windows 8 and Windows RT that can help protect you from new malware that antimalware software hasn't detected yet. When you download and run an app downloaded from the Internet, SmartScreen uses information about the app's reputation to warn you if the app isn't well-known and might be malicious.

That means, by default, every app(lication) you run will be 'screened' by microsoft and judged whether you can open it or not.
Of course, you can turn it off but the mere fact that they implemented this kind of 'security feature' and enabled it by default is worse than Justin Bieber's last album.

 

[Radicool]

Hmm, ok. Thanks for the answer.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Of course, you can turn it off but the mere fact that they implemented this kind of 'security feature' and enabled it by default is worse than Justin Bieber's last album.

I am prety sure this is mostly related to the applications digitial signature. It might only send the information if the application has no digital signature. If the application does have a digital signature it will simply query that (which Windows has done since Vista). Type of information sent is probably related to hashes and various other measurements that can fingerprint a program.

 

[Squiggy]

I have a fuckload of software without certificates.
Probably 90% are unsigned.
And I don't feel like sharing my software with M$~

 

[Nuclear]

It asks about turning on Smart Screen during the installation IIRC, at least it was not turned on for me and I don't remember changing that setting, so I must have unchecked the box during the installation.

 

[Dr Super Good]

And I don't feel like sharing my software with M$~

Why? It is not like they can use any of this information against you... I think people are being a little bit too paranoid about giving out such information.