Windows 10 telemetry (data gathering)

[DelJo63]

PCWORLD.COM discloses Windows 10 Data Collection as described by Microsoft
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3187...at-data-windows-10-collects-from-your-pc.html

A link within that information(Configure Windows telemetry in your organization),
points to https://technet.microsoft.com/itpro...figure-windows-telemetry-in-your-organization

Basic: “we only collect data at the Basic level that is necessary to keep your Windows 10 device secure and up to date.”

excerpt from: https://technet.microsoft.com/itpro...figure-windows-telemetry-in-your-organization

you should review this document BEFORE attempting to implement or taking any action. The information excerpted here is without the benefit of the descriptive information to justify or understand the context CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Basic device data. Helps provide an understanding about the types of Windows devices and the configurations and types of native and virtualized Windows Server 2016 in the ecosystem. Examples include:

  Device attributes, such as camera resolution and display type

    Internet Explorer version

    Battery attributes, such as capacity and type

    Networking attributes, such as number of network adapters, speed of network adapters, mobile operator network, and IMEI number

    Processor and memory attributes, such as number of cores, architecture, speed, memory size, and firmware

    Virtualization attribute, such as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) support and guest operating system

    Operating system attributes, such as Windows edition and virtualization state

    Storage attributes, such as number of drives, type, and size

  Connected User Experience and Telemetry component quality metrics.
     Helps provide an understanding about how the Connected User Experience and Telemetry component is functioning, including % of uploaded events, dropped events, and the last upload time.

  Quality-related information.
     Helps Microsoft develop a basic understanding of how a device and its operating system are performing. Some examples are the device characteristics of a Connected Standby device, the number of crashes or hangs, and application state change details, such as how much processor time and memory were used, and the total uptime for an app.

  Compatibility data. Helps provide an understanding about which apps are installed on a device or virtual machine and identifies potential compatibility problems.

    General app data and app data for Internet Explorer add-ons. Includes a list of apps that are installed on a native or virtualized instance of the OS and whether these apps function correctly after an upgrade. This app data includes the app name, publisher, version, and basic details about which files have been blocked from usage.

    App usage data. Includes how an app is used, including how long an app is used, when the app has focus, and when the app is started

    Internet Explorer add-ons. Includes a list of Internet Explorer add-ons that are installed on a device and whether these apps will work after an upgrade.

    System data. Helps provide an understanding about whether a device meets the minimum requirements to upgrade to the next version of the operating system. System information includes the amount of memory, as well as information about the processor and BIOS.

    Accessory device data. Includes a list of accessory devices, such as printers or external storage devices, that are connected to Windows PCs and whether these devices will function after upgrading to a new version of the operating system.

    Driver data. Includes specific driver usage that’s meant to help figure out whether apps and devices will function after upgrading to a new version of the operating system. This can help to determine blocking issues and then help Microsoft and our partners apply fixes and improvements.

  Windows Store. Provides information about how the Windows Store performs, including app downloads, installations, and updates. It also includes Windows Store launches, page views, suspend and resumes, and obtaining licenses.

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Configure the operating system telemetry level

You can configure your operating system telemetry settings using the management tools you’re already using, such as Group Policy, MDM, or Windows Provisioning. You can also manually change your settings using Registry Editor. Setting your telemetry levels through a management policy overrides any device level settings.

Use the appropriate value in the table below when you configure the management policy.
Level        Data gathered        Value
Security    Security data only.    0

Basic        Security data, +
        basic system +
        quality data.        1

Enhanced    Security data, +
        basic system +
        quality data, +
        enhanced insights +
        reliability data.    2

Full        Security data, +
        basic system +
        quality data, +
        enhanced insights +
        reliability data, +
        full diagnostics data.    3

Use Registry Editor to set the telemetry level

Use Registry Editor to manually set the registry level on each device in your organization, or write a script to edit the registry. If a management policy already exists, such as Group Policy or MDM, it will override this registry setting.

    Open Registry Editor, and go to
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection.

    Right-click DataCollection, click New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value.

    Type AllowTelemetry, and then press ENTER.

    Double-click AllowTelemetry, set the desired value from the table above, and then click OK.

    Click File > Export, and then save the file as a .reg file, such as C:\AllowTelemetry.reg.
    You can run this file from a script on each device in your organization.