Telemetry: To Be or Not To Be

[jstevens]

I have noticed that the MS Compatability Telemetry is on occasion consuming CPU up to 60% and is impacting other applications: intermittent freezing.

Is it recommended to disable this feature? I'm in a VM environment.

[JoeP]

If you think it is affecting you daily usage, I'd say go ahead and dial it down. I'm among those who think that overall the telemetry is a good thing. The more data Microsoft have about how Windows is used and tracking problems the better. There are a number of people who feel this is an invasion of privacy. I feel that as long as there is a reasonable effort to make sure personal data is not collected and that when it is the data is not shared with outside entities it is OK.

NOTE: Being a participant in the Windows Insider program I can not change the telemetry settings using Windows. However, if I was a normal user and was to decide to limit telemetry I'd do it through the Settings app as I think that many of the third party approaches are blunt instruments. Yes, there are many settings in the privacy section of the settings app but you get more control over what you choose to disable.

[John Gray]

If you want to have fine control over disabling telemetry and many other settings, take a look at O & O's ShutUp10.