Born in 2000, the former versions of the Nissan X-Trail, never made for a particularly interesting vehicle, or one that was considered attractive. It was an often-overlooked SUV, and rivals tended to grab the limelight and buyers attention more easily.
Whereas the previous version was boxy and rather boring, the 2015 X-Trail has a sleek, aerodynamic and sporty appearance. Two swage lines run each side the bonnet, before flowing down the sides of the car to the rear, making it look like wind streaming over and around the Nissan, emphasising the sleek bodywork.
While the squared-off type of old-school SUV/4×4 do look tougher generally, there's still a substantiality about the X-Trail, albeit in a modern kind of way. Up front, the headlamps feature LED running lights as standard, and the rest of the face is fairly simple and uncluttered.
Down the sides, what mostly stands out to the eye is the thick chrome strip running around the glass and ending at a point at the rear. It's a small point, but makes an impact on the overall look.
All said, the new-for-2015 Nissan X-Trail (or Nissan Rogue in the USA) has come bang up to date in regards to styling, and it is now far more appealing than its predecessor ever was. With even the base 'Visia' model getting decent alloy wheels and LED running lights, the X-Trail looks to be an attractive offering. But what about the interior?
We were sent the base 'Visia' version of the X-Trail, so that's the one I'll be talking about here. At the outset, I'll admit that I wasn't exactly over-enamoured by the X-Trail's cabin. The Visia has dark fabric seats, a standard stereo with a small LCD display, air conditioning, and the 5-inch TFT (Thin Film Display) information screen between the dials was about as good as it got. It seemed, at least at first, rather too basic.
However, after a day or two the interior started to grow on me. The front seats are actually very comfortable, and while there's no lumbar adjustment the seats don't need it as they're so well designed.
The centre row of seats (this is the optional 7-seater version), are great too. They're split 50:50, and slide individually to make whatever room is required for the third-row passengers. They can also be reclined to such an angle that it makes long journeys a pleasant experience, as you'd be able to get some decent shut-eye with them being so laid-back. You're actually sat much higher than the front seats, making for excellent vision, and a high roof lining (cream-coloured) gives the X-Trail an overall sense of being airy and spacious. Central ventilation gives further comfort for those in the middle row too.
The third row seating are easy to use, and it's a simple matter of a pulling one of the two straps, which in turn hauls each seat into position. Good news if you've only got one arm free at the time. These can be classed as either 'temporary' seating for adults, or decently roomy ones for kids and pre-teens, thanks to the 2nd row seat adjustment.
The only negative I could find was that there's no adjustable air ventilation in the boot, and it may feel slightly claustrophobic if the sun is beating down on the car. The X-Trail's luggage capacity is impressive, with 550 litres 2nd row seats up, and 1,982 with them folded.
Well-chosen trim pieces and good styling with few distractions make for a strangely calming effect when you're driving longer distances, and the switchgear for the heating and stereo are well laid out and easy to use when you need to concentrate on the road ahead. Physically, it all seems very well bolted together and solid, and even the doors shut with a reassuring 'clunk', rather than a 'bang'. Safety-wise, as standard the X-Trail gets 6 airbags (Driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags), which is decent considering you have to pay extra for curtain 'bags on some other SUVs.
The driver's instrument panel has a simple but effective look, with highly readable dials and that previously-mentioned 5″ TFT high-definition colour display, which gives information on road signage (the car reads them as you drive towards the sign), fuel economy, settings for the driving aids, and also shows the tyre pressures and 'chassis control' readout – more on that later.
While the stereo system bizarrely lacks DAB radio, you still get Bluetooth connectivity for phone and music, and the speakers actually pump out a fairly decent amount of power too. Finally, the standard Visia model also has steering wheels controls for phonecalls, audio selection, cruise control (and limiter), and for skipping through the TFT display screens.
All said, while the X-Trail Visia is the base model, it's still got a lot going for it considering the price. It's comfortable, roomy, practical in a big way, and whilst I'd normally recommend going up a notch to the next model for the extra goodies, I genuinely believe this model will be very easy to live with – aside from the lack of DAB radio, that is.
Replacing the old 2.0 litre dCi (diesel) unit, is a new 1.6 litre dCi 130 turbocharged diesel, which produces the same torque as the old motor, but runs cleaner with lower emissions. A 1.6-litre DIG-T turbocharged petrol engine with 163PS will be available at some point in 2015 too.
The dCi engine is a 1,598 cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged diesel unit, producing 128 hp at 4,000 rpm, and 236 lb ft (320 Nm) of torque at 1,750 rpm. 0 – 62 mph is done in 10.5 seconds (add around a second for the auto version), and there's a 117 mph to be had at the top end.
Official UK fuel consumption for the 2WD manual is: urban: 49.6, extra urban: 62.8, combined: 57.6. During our test period of the X-Trail, I saw an average of 44.5 mpg around town, and just over 48 mpg on a motorway run. If I'd taken it a little slower on the motorway run, I would've seen over 50 mpg. CO2 emission for the 2WD are quoted as 129 g/km.
The dCi 130 is available with either a 6-speed manual, or an automatic 'XTronic' transmission. However, the 4WD version only comes in manual guise. You now have a choice of either two-wheel-drive (through the fronts), or an electronic 'ALL MODE 4×4-i' system. On that, Nissan's engineers were apparently given "a brief to retain the previous model's famed off-road ability", so it's likely to be decent over the slippery or rough stuff.
Firing the X-Trail's dCi 130 engine into life, I'm surprised by how quiet it sounds inside the cabin. Looking under the bonnet, there's clearly a lot of sound-deadening padding installed around the engine bay, and it works well in muffling the 4-cylinder diesel's noise – something which is never an attractive sound.
Setting off, the manual transmission goes through the 6 gears slickly thanks to a positive gearbox and a light clutch. The gearstick sits slightly higher than usual, and it sits perfectly well next to the hand for when you want to change. The gears are long, and in the first couple of days I found the indicator on the dash telling me to change down often because of this.
At 10.2 seconds, the 0 – 60 mph acceleration doesn't look good on paper. However, I found the rolling acceleration perfectly acceptable, and the X-Trail has all the power it needs from the dCi engine. It's not a slouch, and you can get up to motorway speeds with dCi seemingly using little effort, and power for overtaking manoeuvres is there if you need it.
City driving in the X-Trail dCi is almost a pleasure. There's loads of low-down torque on tap at just 1,750 rpm, which means it pulls well when there's even a slight gap in traffic. Just like I found with the 2014 Nissan Qashqai I reviewed, the X-Trail's chassis and fully independent suspension has been superbly well set up.
Even over olde worlde cobbles, the X-Trail soaks up the vibration amazingly well, softening and flatting out both the physical bumpiness of the road, and also dampening the down the noise from it really very well, and beyond expectation. Down a flowing road at speed, the Nissan's set-up means it drives more like a car than an SUV, taking the bends with good poise and surprisingly little body roll.
For long distance travel, the X-Trail proves itself to be a splendid cruiser, with a long 6th gear making for an un-stressed engine, excellent soundproofing keeping wind and road noise down very well, and of course those comfortable seats keeping your derrière happy.
These points, along with the light clutch, slick gear change and steering that is nicely set up to cause minimal effort – light around the town and decently weighted when you're tackling a twisting run – means the X-Trail is actually a great car to get about in, whether you're putting some miles on the clock on a road trip, or simply popping to the shops in town.
Safety-wise, the Nissan is well equipped. As standard, there are the aforementioned 6 airbags, plus the X-Trail comes standard with Nissan's Chassis Control safety system. This includes Active Ride Control, Active Engine Brake (only used on the Xtronic automatic version), and Active Trace Control. In short, the system monitors a variety of things such as wheel speed, the behaviour and trajectory of the car and more, and then acts by subtly braking to keep you headed in the right direction safely, and it also acts like a limited slip differential to ensure the best traction and limit understeer.
There's also a couple of safety packs available, but these depend on the model you go for. Firstly, there's a 'Smart Vision Pack' which has an Anti Dazzle Mirror, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Emergency Braking. There's also Nissan's 'Safety Shield', which includes Blind Spot Warning, Moving Object Detection and Driver Attention Alert, but this isn't available with the Visia or Acenta models.
Personally – and because I like having the security of four wheel drive should the weather turn inclement – I would pay more and go for the X-Trail with 'ALL MODE 4×4-i' system, but that's down to budget of course, as it does adds a fair bit onto the price.
(figures correct Feb. '14) At £23,195 – £32,145, the Nissan is priced very competitively. Our Visia 7-seater test car cost £23,995, and spec levels are decent whichever you go for, so the X-Trail easily justifies the asking price.
As we tested the 7-seat X-Trail, rivals include the Mitsubishi Outlander at £20,000 – £40,000, the Hyundai Santa Fe 7-seater at £27 – £35k, the Chevrolet Captiva 7-seater version at around £27,000 – £30,000, and the Kia Sorento at £26,995 – £36,805.
Buyers today will absolutely not stand for cheaply or poorly-made cars, just because they're comparatively low-priced. Nope, rightly we want good cars at economical prices! Happily, they've finally cottoned on to the fact that we, the buyers, won't stand for rubbish any more.
In Nissan's case, they're providing the market with what's wanted, and the 2015 X-Trail is a shining example this: it's sold at a very competitive price, the interior quality is great considering the cost of the car, and you're getting lots of safety stuff as standard. If you want SUV styling, lots of room, and the choice of 5 or 7 seats, plus 2 or 4 wheel drive, the Nissan X-Trail is definitely worth a test drive.
On the Visia spec X-Trail, I thought not fitting DAB radio as standard was a bit tight, and the lack of rear adjustable ventilation for the 3rd row seating could be an issue if it's a hot day.
Do you own a second-generation Kia Sorento, or have questions about it? Share your thoughts and leave a comment below!
i own a 2015 x trail with the 1.6 deisel engine .xtronic transmission .And have found some of the specifications above are not so true .For instance the top speed is much more than 117 mph as i have had my one crusing at 160 klm at just on 2000 rpm with plenty more throttle left to go . Also the acceleration time from 0/60 mph is a little faster than specified . So in the end i would rather think that this little gem of a car has much more potential than stated above . Great going on this one nissan this car really is quiet an awsome machine .


21 January 2017. Published by Benoît Labourdette.
Creation, writing, production, interpretation of a film entirely shot with a drone, piloted by teenagers.
On two successive Saturdays in January 2017, the city of Niort, in partnership with the FRMJC of Poitou Charentes and within the framework of the device Passeurs d'images, I proposed a workshop of realization of film with drone, entitled "Filmer la peur". The goal of this film was to be broadcast, fifteen days after its realization, in the framework of a polar festival in Niort, "Regards Noirs". Project accompanied by David Audouit (Chargé de manifestations culturelles - City of Niort) and Alice Chaput-Yogo (Mediator Passeurs d'images - FRMJC Poitou-Charentes).
What was the approach that made it possible to succeed in two days with a group of ten teenagers, to make a film constructed, scripted, on a thematic and that is more turned with a complicated (but exciting) What is the drone, the device being piloted by the teenagers themselves?
The first stage was a test of turning, inside and outside, with the drone, which I was driving. We looked at the images in a big way, in the dark, and we discussed the potentialities, the ideas that aroused. Ideas that I noticed gradually on a mindmap. That is to say that the discussion "scenario" was not "theoretical", but according to the reality of the possibilities of this particular camera.
Then I invited each person to express his desire: does he want to drive the device, do something else?
Next, the method, after discussions, was to go, in sequence, a scene of the film, the drone being piloted by one of the adolescents. Then come back to watch this sequence, discuss it, and, from there, evolve ideas for other sequences, the order of things in the movie, and so on. That is to say that the process of writing was iterative: we follow (not necessarily the chronological sequence besides) according to what was done previously, but according to the reality Of what has been done, not of a theoretical theoretical idea.
Numerical tools and their ability to make us see very quickly the contents produced, make it possible to inscribe the process of audiovisual writing no longer as a prerequisite for realization, but as an integral part of the realization.
What was very important is that every moment of viewing, after the shootings, is really concentrated, in large, in the dark, so that we receive fully what was contained in the images that had just been made. Sometimes, it is chance, "defects", accidents, that suggest ideas, which can be major for the film.
At the end of the first day, by putting a video editing software (Vegas Pro) full screen on the video projector, I assembled, during a collective discussion, the plans made during the day, Order.
So, we had a first montage, mute, scenes shot during the day. I immediately put on line this first montage, and I gave the link to the participants. Thus, throughout the week before the workshop on the following Saturday, they were able to watch over and over again what had been achieved, to think about it, and more than that to be intimate with work, Of the unconscious of each one, and the real appropriation (I can show, on my phone, to my friends, the film that I am making), which is the key to motivation, involvement, and Therefore of a quality achievement, since it is important for every person who participates in it.
The second Saturday, each had matured in relation to the project. There were scenes left to shoot, but we rediscussed them, adapted many things. And then we used the same process of filming + viewing + discussion + editing + other filming, and so on.
Once the shooting was finished, we worked on the soundtrack of the film: recordings, inside and outside, of sounds, music searches, and assembly of sounds on the images.
At the end of the day, the editing, done collectively, was finished, and the film put on line, so that immediately the participants could share it, give it existence in their social space.
Piloting a drone is an impressive experience because it is difficult to control, it is a flying, noisy, fast object that seems dangerous (but the model chosen, a Parrot Bebop, is not dangerous, workshop). The youngsters had, almost all, very frightened before turning their scene, did not feel capable. But everyone risked it. My job was to produce a sufficiently reassuring framework for everyone to take a risk. How is this framework produced? Well, for example, the young person who is going to fly who says he does not feel capable, that he is afraid, etc., is listening to him sympathetically but still putting the drone in his hands and To start. And it is because there is this real risk (the more so because it is framed, it is the pedagogical paradox, a subject that could be developed much) that something of the " The order of life, which in my opinion feels in the images, and makes the film interesting for a viewer.
Of course, after this strong experience, and all the more so with the quality of the images produced, the young people were all the more proud, and the experience was all the more constructive for them.
The framework in which we really take risks is much more productive in terms of creation and quality of work than the framework with which we try to reassure ourselves. At the personal level of the intervener, how do you manage this type of framework? Well it is decided to trust the young, for example the 12-year-old preado terrorized at the idea of driving a drone, in a parking lot among cars and people, when we ourselves are very scared. So that we risk ourselves, really, to the situation, that we also live strong emotions, but that we give full and complete trust and responsibility to the other. Then the other climbs to that level and surpasses himself.


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Comparison of Windows 10 Privacy tools
by Martin Brinkmann on August 14, 2015 in Windows - Last Update: September 27, 2019 - 148 comments
Windows 10 users can modify the operating system's privacy settings manually, for instance by disabling express setup during installation or upgrade, or by exploring the Privacy section of the new Settings application.
While it gives them full control over each setting, it requires prior knowledge of these settings and time to make the changes.
Privacy tools help users in this regard but may limit the control these users have over what is happening in the background depending on how the tool works.
The following comparison provides you with an overview of these privacy tools highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly for each of them.
Note: We update the listing regularly. Please let us know about any updates that we may have missed, and about new programs that you found that are not on it already.
Windows 10 Privacy Tools
Please note that you need to run all programs with elevated privileges as the majority of tweaks are not applied otherwise. You do that with a right-click on the program executable and the selection of "run as administrator" from the options.
We suggest you focus on apps that are updated regularly. Programs that have been updated some years ago may still work for the most part, but they may lack certain functionality that tweaks newer versions of Windows 10 and some tweaks may not work at all anymore.
Overview of Windows 10 Privacy Tools
Name Backup/Restore Explanation Privacy Tweaks Open Source Misc Update
Disable Win Tracking No/No No limit tracking, source Yes 2019
DoNotSpy 10 Yes/No Yes disable services, apps access, telemetry No 2018
Private Winten No/No No disable services, apps access, telemetry Yes built-in firewall 2019
W10Privacy Yes/Yes Yes disable services and tasks, apps access,telemetry, disable ads No 2019
Shut Up 10 Yes/No Yes disable services, telemetry, access No 2019
Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows 10 No/No No disable services, telemetry, access, hosts, paid version available No 2018
Windows Privacy Tweaker No/No No Services, Task Scheduler, Registry, Telemetry No 2018
Debloat Windows 10 No/No In code disable services, remove apps, telemetry, privacy Yes 2019
Blackbird No/Yes No disable services, telemetry, apps, hosts, No supports Windows Vista and up 2019
WPD No/No Yes disable services, Group Policy, telemetry, block IPs, tweaks No 2019
Windows10Debloater No/No No apps, tasks, privacy Yes 2019
Old Apps
These apps have not been updated in a while. They may still work, but may miss functionality and some features may be broken in newer versions of Windows 10.
Name Backup/Restore Explanation Privacy Tweaks Misc Update
Ashampoo AntiSpy for Windows 10 Yes/Yes No telemetry, apps access unknown
Win10 Spy Disabler Yes/No No Services, Task Scheduler, Telemetry, apps 2016
Win10 SpyStop Yes/No Yes Telemetry, block hosts, Windows Update 2016
WinPurify No/No No Telemetry, remove apps 2016
Windows 10 Lite No/No Yes Remove apps, Task Scheduler,Telemetry BlackViper Services support 2017
Privacy Repairer No/No Yes Telemetry, apps access, remove ads recommendations 2017
Windows 10 Dominator No/No Partial Telemetry, some privacy settings. 2017
Windows 10 Privacy and Shit No/No No disable services, telemetry Batch file 2015
Windows 10 Privacy Fixer No/No No disable services, apps access, telemetry, remove apps, source code additional system tweaks 2015
Recent Windows 10 privacy tools
Disable Windows 10 Tracking
This is the smallest tool functionality-wise but the one that is the largest in size. It displays four options in its interface which all concentrate on disabling tracking.
Disable Windows 10 Tracking lacks a backup option and explanations of entries.
DoNotSyp 10
Note: The program ships with Open Candy adware offers which are displayed during installation. Make sure you block those if you are not interested in those offers.
You may create a system restore point on start of the program so that you can restore it should the need arise to do so.
The program displays all tweaks as checkboxes in its interface. A detailed description is provided on the right once you select a tweak from the list so that you know what it does and what impact it has on system operations.
You find the usual assortment of tweaks supported by DoNotSpy 10. This includes disabling application access to sensors or system features, disabling Cortana or handwriting data sharing.
Private Winten
Private Winten is a tool for advanced users: it comes without explanation (for the most part), or backup options. The program features in-depth options to disable tracking and other unwanted privacy-related features of Windows 10 that phone home, and a built-in firewall frontend to block requests.
W10 Privacy
The program is only available with a German and English interface which makes it unusable for most Windows 10 users.
The application displays privacy settings and general tweaks in its interface on launch. The first tab, Datenschutz (German word for privacy), lists privacy-related tweaks you can make.
The tweaks are mostly self-explanatory but when you hover over an entry additional information about it and its impact are revealed by the app.
W10 Privacy offers no backup and restore functionality. This means that you need to create a System Restore point or other type of backup manually before you use it to modify system settings.
What you can do however is save the program's own configuration. If you do that you may load them again at a later point in time.
Shut Up 10
Shut Up 10 displays a list of tweaks in its interface on launch. A click on a tweak name displays a detailed description underneath it that explains what it does if the title on its own is not sufficient for that.
The program suggests to you to create a system restore point once you start modifying settings.
The settings concentrate mostly on privacy and security, but contain several important other settings such as controlling Windows Update or feedback.
Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows 10
Anti-Beacon has been created by the authors of Spybot Search & Destroy, a popular anti-spyware program for Windows.
It enables you to block Telemetry data and hosts, the Steps Recorder, the use of advertising ID by applications, P2P Windows Updates and WiFi Sense.
The program checks the current settings of the system on start and displays its findings in the interface afterwards.
Select immunize to make all changes, or undo to restore defaults.
This is another program that scans the settings on start and displays those as safe or unsafe right away so that you know which ones you have not modified yet.
It displays all tweaks in the four tabs Services, Task Scheduler, Registry and USB Security. The first three display tweaks that are directly related to privacy in Windows 10 while the last provides you with options to change the USB Mode.
It shares some tweaks with other applications listed here but also offers some that offers don't offer at all. Especially Services and Registry hold tweaks that you may not find listed in other privacy applications for the operating system.
One downside is that it won't create a system restore point or other form of backup by default so that you need to take care of that manually before you make any changes using it.
Debloat Windows 10
Debloat windows 10 is a collection of Powershell scripts designed for specific tasks related to privacy and annoyances in regards to Windows 10.
There is a script to remove most of the default apps, another to block Telemetry hosts and services, and yet another to make dozens of privacy related adjustments to the operating system.
You can audit the scripts using a text editor so that you know exactly what they do. Downside to this is that you need some experience to understand what is going on, and that there is no backup or restore option.
Blackbird is a program for Windows Vista and up that supports two modes of operation. You can run it right away to apply all of its tweaks and changes to the Windows machine, or run it from the command line with parameters that provide you with control in regards to the changes that are made.
The list of tweaks is very extensive; changes range from removing apps, blocking telemetry and ad servers, and disabling Windows services and tasks, to apply network tweaks, and blocking automatic updates.
WPD is a free portable program for Windows 10 to make adjustments to privacy related settings and features of the operating system.
The program divides all options into four different groups:
Privacy -- Lets you make tweaks to privacy related Group Policy settings, manage Windows Services, and Windows Tasks.
Firewall -- Add Telemetry, Windows Update, and third-party application IP addresses to Windows Firewall for communication blocking.
Apps -- Remove applications that ship with Windows 10 by default.
Tweaks -- Configure application access to certain data sets and hardware such as the camera or contacts.
The application is easy to use, and descriptions are provided for all options that you have. These are helpful if you require more information before you make a decision on whether to keep a feature enabled, or to disable it.
Windows10Debloater
Designed to remove bloatware from Windows 10 devices, the application is best run after user creation (e.g. on first run) to avoid issues.
You may use it to disable certain tasks in Windows, remove lots of applications that come with Windows, and to apply privacy changes to the system.
Ashampoo AntiSpy for Windows 10
AntiSpy for Windows 10 is a free program that you can run from any location. It suggests to create a System Restore point on start, good.
The program lists all tweaks in list form on start. All privacy related settings are sorted into groups and changeable with a click on the switch displays in front of them.
The actions menu lists options to apply recommended tweaks right away which may be useful to some users as it turns off most features and permissions when applied.
AntiSpy lacks descriptions which is problematic especially for inexperienced users.
Privacy Repairer
Privacy Repairer ships with a total of 58 privacy tweaks for Windows 10 in the version that we reviewed. The program offers a recommendation on start on what to enable but without going into detail as to what will be enabled when you press the button.
Tweaks are listed in categories such as Telemetry and Diagnostics, Windows Defender, Edge and Internet Explorer, or Cortana and Start menu.
Each tweak is listed with its name, a toggle to enable or disable it, an option to display additional information, and information on whether it is recommended or not.
One interesting tidbit here is that the program lists Registry keys in the description for each of the tweaks.
Some tweaks are marked for experts only or dangerous, which is useful as it may prevent users from making certain changes without knowing what a change actually does to the system.
There is no system restore or backup option however.
WinPurify
WinPurify is a free program for Windows 10 that you can run right after download. It displays the options that it makes available on start, with most of them selected by default.
It allows you to remove universal apps or the Store app, disable Telemetry and Windows Update, and run some clean up operations to free up space as well.
Additionally, it wants to install a small helper app on the system that checks RAM and performance, and notifies you if usage is too high.
Win10 Spy Disabler
The program is offered as a portable version and installer which, apart from the one requiring to be installed before it can be run are identical.
Win10 Spy Disabler displays the list of tweaks right on start in its interface. They are listed under the tabs privacy tweaks and system tweaks.
Unlike the majority of Windows 10 privacy tools, it is bundling tweaks together in single entries. Disable spying services, spying scheduled tasks or "remove default built-in Windows apps" perform multiple operations on the system.
While that is handy, no information are provided on the nature of what is being changed on the system giving you less control over the functionality.
The program prompts for the creation of a restore point before changes are applied.
System Tweaks are non-privacy tweaks only, and System Utilities, the third tab in the interface, links to core Windows tools. The last tab, VPN Service, is an ad for the Hide Your Ass service.
Windows 10 Dominator
Windows 10 Dominator is an open source program that displays all of its tweaks on a single page on start.
The list of available options is limited and resolves mostly around disabling Telemetry and some related options (many of which you find under Settings as well).
The app does not support backup or restore operations, so make sure you do so manually before using it.
Windows 10 Lite (Better Privacy)
Windows 10 Lite is a command line script that is best run right after setup of Windows 10. It displays a couple of prompts to you on execution giving you some choice in regards to which tweaks you want applied and which you don't.
You may optimize Services using BlackViper's services listing, and let it handle the usual things like removing system apps, tweaking settings for privacy, or removing scheduled tasks used for Telemetry.
It comes without options to create a backup or restore it. So, make sure you create a backup first before you run it.
Windows 10 Privacy and Shit
This is a batch file that you need to download from Pastebin. Create a new .bat file on your system and paste the contents of it into the newly created file.
When you run it afterwards, it will execute select privacy related tasks including disabling data logging services, uninstalling OneDrive and adding domains to the hosts file to block Telemetry data sending.
Windows 10 Privacy Fixer
The program ships with a compact interface to modify important privacy settings on Windows 10. You do need to click on check first to retrieve information about tweaks that are already set, but even if you do, some settings are listed as unchecked even though they are checked.
Windows 10 Privacy Fixer lets you disable four core services related to telemetry and feedback, block Telemetry hosts, disable application access to system features such as location or calendar, and make general privacy changes, for instance by disabling the unique advertising ID.
You may use it furthermore to uninstall all Windows apps.
A backup is not created and there is no restore option available as well because of it.
Lastly, there are no explanations provided for features. While most are self-explanatory, additional information about some tweaks are necessary to make sense of them or reveal what they actually do when run.
Win10 SpyStop
Win10 SpyStop checks privacy settings of Windows 10 on start and informs you whether your privacy is threatened or not by them.
The program offers only a couple of options when compared to other privacy apps for Windows 10. You may use it to disable telemetry, remote access and diagnostics, block hosts files used for that purpose by Microsoft, or disable the advertising ID.
It furthermore lets you disable automatic and/or manual Windows Updates, automatic web searches, and blocks application access to Windows Store account information.
The program creates a system restore point during installation.
Tools that are not available anymore
Destroy Windows 10 Spying
Destroy Windows 10 Spying concentrates on a handful of privacy settings and tweaks only. You may use it to disable spyware tasks in the Task Scheduler, block Microsoft domains in the hosts file, to turn Windows Update on or off, and to remove select applications or all applications from the operating system.
The program does not support backup and restore functionality, and there are no explanations for the tweaks it offers.
While some are self-explanatory, others reveal nothing about the task that gets carried out when they are run. For instance, you don't know which tasks are disabled in the Task Scheduler when you select the tweak to disable spyware tasks in it.
You may run the program from the command line. All switches are explained in the readme file it ships with.
All tools discussed in the comparison provide you with options to modify settings of Windows 10 systems to improve privacy. Some offer more tweaks than others, and only one suggests to create a system restore point before making any changes to the underlying system.
It comes down to your personal preference in the end and what you want to achieve. All tools disable most of the phone home functionality of the operating system while others go further and let you uninstall apps or make other tweaks that are not necessarily privacy related.
A comparison of privacy related tools for the Windows 10 operating system to manage privacy settings on devices running Windows 10.
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Hawk said on August 14, 2015 at 10:13 am
Why do you promote DoNotSpy again? Wasn't it shown to contain malware in the previous article?
Martin Brinkmann said on August 14, 2015 at 10:25 am
No, it is not malware. It contains OpenCandy, that is all.
Michael said on October 12, 2015 at 4:20 am
Since when is Open Candy not malware? It sneaks crap onto your computer in a deceptive way.
Sylv said on January 6, 2016 at 5:59 am
The term you're looking for is "adware" not malware. The former while shitty and underhanded, does no actual harm to your PC. It just bugs the hell out of you. Also an all time lesson never to Next/Accept ^ ∞.
Guest703 said on July 26, 2016 at 11:12 pm
Malware is a collective term for viruses, worms, trojans, scamware, adware, etc.
Yes Open Candy is adware.
Yes Open Candy is malware.
Tom Hawack said on August 14, 2015 at 12:45 pm
It was but is no more blocked by OpenDNS. I guess this is relevant.
wiwi2301 said on September 3, 2015 at 11:26 pm
Backup/restore option add in w10privacy http://winprivacy.de
Homelka said on November 14, 2016 at 12:29 pm
Tool from Kaspersky Lab called PC Cleaner has one section that deals with Win10 privacy issues https://www.ghacks.net/2016/02/22/kaspersky-cleaner-is-a-free-ccleaner-like-program-for-windows/
rrr said on January 26, 2017 at 12:44 pm
But Is there something to deal with Kaspersky privacy issues?
AxMi-24 said on January 26, 2018 at 2:05 pm
What Kaspersky privacy issues? I am not aware of any issues reported with their software.
Anon said on March 23, 2018 at 6:59 pm
Kapersky makes a table of contents for all the files of your drive and then phones them to Kapersky. This is how Russian Intelligence hacked sensitive information from a dumb who took their classified work home. This does not prove Kapersky is working directly with Russian Intelligence (Agent could have performed man in the middle on the sent Kapersky data), but it does prove you cannot trust Kapersky. (or possibly any Anti-Virus that phones home).
Caio said on August 14, 2015 at 10:46 am
Windows 10 Privacy Fixer seems to be the only one that check if something has already been changed
wildersfellow said on August 14, 2015 at 11:56 am
Hi, Martin. Do each of these tools require installation? Could you add that information to your article? I like stand-alone tools when it comes to tweaking operating system.
Martin Brinkmann said on August 14, 2015 at 12:06 pm
If I recall correctly, only DoNotSpy requires installation.
happysurf said on August 14, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Fundamental article for everyone with W10.
Thanks Martin..
DonGateley said on August 14, 2015 at 10:39 pm
Upvote! Thanks again, Martin, for providing and aggregating priceless information. Nobody does it better. For the hell of it I just checked and find I have bookmarks to 40 of your articles. :-)
Don that is wonderful. Thanks for the praise!
Great synthesis, Martin. Nice work, thanks a lot. I'm archiving all valuable information regarding Win10 for the day I'll install it…
By the way, homepage of above mentioned DoNotSpy 10 (pxc-coding) is no longer blocked by OpenDNS… now what do you say about that?!
An interesting article at arsTechnica, "Even when told not to, Windows 10 just can't stop talking to Microsoft" ( http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/ )
ad said on August 14, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Avast reports 'infected' (FileRepMetagen [Malware]) and blocks download of:
– win10privacyfix
– donotspy10
Mark said on August 14, 2015 at 2:24 pm
This is good for people who are concerned about privacy but don't bother to read and turn off features they don't want during Windows 10 instalation.
Tom Hawack said on August 14, 2015 at 2:53 pm
Default settings to the disadvantage of the user's privacy have always been the secret weapon of manufacturers. It is in a way the alloy of a democracy's freedom and a dictatorship's efficiency : you can opt out (to what point?) but most won't. Manipulation is the word. We often believe that having the right and the mean to refuse is a guaranty of the honesty of the object and consequently we let go when in fact we are simply bypassing our legal and legitimate interests.
Pole said on December 27, 2016 at 11:02 am
Adjusting default settings during installations doesn't do nearly as much as for example ShutUp10 let me do. Deferring updates on Win10 Home and disabling driver updates is impossible without registry modifications, and you have to use this kind of tools of carefully go through guides and hope you don't miss any essential privacy adjustments.
Anonymous Coward said on August 14, 2015 at 3:20 pm
And for Windows 7…
wusa /kb:3021917 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
Same here. I hope this "Mission : Possible" regarding Windows 10 will start to forget non Windows 10 users. It's getting bored of having to check WUpdates on every release. Last Patch Tuesday (2015-08-11) was ok here : none of the previous updates I had hidden popped up again and no new Win10 incentive. I felt it like the calm after a storm :)
DonGateley said on August 15, 2015 at 2:15 am
This does what? Exactly and specifically.
Andrew said on September 3, 2015 at 4:53 pm
It removes all the windows updates associated with the telemetry collection.
Anonymous said on April 25, 2016 at 1:07 pm
You can also set all the update files as "viruses" in your anti virus.
Andrew said on June 28, 2016 at 6:55 pm
Better yet, download Steve Gibson's Never10 tool: https://www.grc.com/never10.htm
Dave Watkins said on August 14, 2015 at 3:28 pm
I was interested that freeware portable XP-Antispy was not included in the lineup. While not being exclusively for Win10 it is compatible with the OS and seems to have similar functionality to the reviewed programs. It prompts the user to backup existing configuration on the first run, has several privacy profiles to choose from or can be used to review existing privacy settings.
Daren said on August 14, 2015 at 4:51 pm
Take your pick of these apps, or use all of them if you'd like… but I can 100% guarantee that there is still PLENTY of spying/tracking going on. Run a packet sniffer or any software firewall that alerts you of every outgoing connection & then trace those IP's.
Robert said on August 14, 2015 at 6:03 pm
For those of you who got tangled up in the Windows 10 web, WinPrivacy would seem to work well for most outgoing connections.
https://www.ghacks.net/2014/12/22/winprivacy-review-new-program-of-winpatrol-maker/
aNoobieS said on August 14, 2015 at 5:12 pm
What happens if you set the Windows Firewall to block all outgoing traffic by default? (Windows Firewall Properties => Outbound Connections => Block)
If the telemetry and such is still being uploaded that means Windows is bypassing its own security feature.
(EDIT: never mind, found my answer in another page — there appears to still be traffic even with this in place)
If it's really too bad for them it'll be bad for you. The ultimate — the critical point — is to protect yourself as much as possible and still be able to walk : too heavily armored the knight wouldn't advance :)
Otherwise, Ultimate number duo : to be a true, authentic pirate, but that's far out of my scope. No armor, simply furtive.
A different Martin said on August 14, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Once Windows 10's kinks, glitches, and privacy holes are patched, I'm looking forward to some real-world feedback from former Windows 7 users, particularly regarding how steep the learning curve was, what new features and improvements they appreciate most, and what they miss most.
As of now, I haven't been able to identify a single compelling reason to upgrade — I'm not a gamer and don't need DirectX 12, not that my hardware would support it anyway — and plenty of reasons not to, including the privacy holes this article addresses. Elsewhere, I've read that even measures like the ones discussed here won't stop all behind-the-scenes "phoning home," and that Microsoft's user-data policies for Windows 10 are particularly worrisome.
But I digress. I am actually looking forward to some objective, real-world feedback that might balance out my own skeptical take on Windows 10.
I stand in a position similar to yours so I won't be the required speaker. As you perhaps as many others who haven't adopted Windows 10 (yet) I'm in the expectation and have no feelings guided by a whatever anti-Microsoft demagogy or fashion. Who doesn't prefer passion to cynicism, sympathy to awareness, love to haste? Personally if I ever had an opinion about the company it would rather have been that of confidence (I may be naive) for another way of behaving in the computer and network arena(s) than "youngsters" like Google, like Facebook. Hard to explain. I admit a disillusion with the way the company pushed Windows 10, but I believe I would have forgotten those griefs if the product — THE new OS — had not proven to be a snake-pit of inquisition, of tracking, on the border edge of a total lack of respect for the user's privacy. That's the way I feel it, and I read everywhere too many testimonies of what Windows 10 has under the hood.
I hope, I really hope that time and users comments of their experience with the OS once the furniture in place, settled, will bring the ratio to a higher level of attraction.
eikelein said on May 7, 2016 at 10:20 pm
I wonder why nobody makes any distinction between Microsoft "just" collecting information about and data from their users on one side and collecting information about the internal workings of the system on the other side.
I would want them to collect all Windows internal error and functional things that then (hopefully?) are used to improve performance, stability, hardware support and so on.
Just not for the price of the seemingly vast amount of data and info about myself.
MS does not help them selves (or us) to distinguish the former from the latter so all I can do is to turn as much of their so-called "telemetry" off; And I have done that, with SD Anti Beacon if you are interested.
My "production machine" is still Win 7; it has an older i7 cpu and and a BIOS mobo so why bother.
PLUS: MS said clearly that we can get the free upgrade of Win7/8.1 systems "for the lifetime of the system". What they have not said is how they, MS, define "lifetime". So far that would end for Win 7 in Jan. 2020 when extended support for Win 7 ends. If the machine still runs – and I expect that! – what then? My guess is I have to pay from then on for Windows 10 anyway.
Real life experiences? One of about 30 – 40 of my customers that I know have upgraded to Win 10 had to revert because his older printer/scanner is not supported under Win 10. Can't blame that on Win 10, that belongs in this case in Epson's yard.
All other upgrades caused no problems and differences in the Menu system are easily alleviated by installing Classic Shell (free!).
Problem with just collecting telemetry is that it is privacy intrusion. We know that NSA has used uploading of memory dumps after crashes to find encryption keys in the dumped memory and it just goes on from there.
It is not up to paying customers to act as QA department for MS!
Similar is the fairytale of anonymised data when all the research has shown that with increased number of data points it becomes absurd to talk about anonymised anything as there is enough information there to uniquely identify anyone. I very much doubt that MS and other data hungry companies are not aware of how absurd that statement is and how easy it is to ignore it. Only way to have your privacy is not to send information about you to others. There is no other realistic way!
MyBlackBox said on August 14, 2015 at 11:07 pm
As a matter of fact, it's not bad to see so many efforts by 'final users' to change the behaviour of an Operative System. Bear with me, as to be sure that the OS doesn't tamper with the customer's own decisions, an analysis of various network protocols should be done. But this will leave something unspotted, as the bios. So you have to check the bios and other hardware parts. Now, hardware drivers are proprietary and closed-source, so the common windows user has some difficulties at grasping what is happening inside a desktop or laptop PC. Moreover, malware as BadUSB could easily be ignored (0day) and hack down to the hardware drivers, allowing Man In The Middle Attacks (MITM). So, low level protocols are totally out of the power of intervention by a standard windows user. Windows 10 Codename Threshold clearly communicates with Onedrive and sends many personal information. Even if the patches operated by the aforementioned applications do work, the next update by Microsoft Corp. will revert any modification by untrusted third party groups (as the good devs. of the apps above).
So, the final user of Windows 10 has no power to change the OS. The OS is still owned by Microsoft Corp. and who doesn't like how it behaves should either look at GNU/Linux distributions or simply enjoy the botnet-embedded experience of Microsoft(TM).
jasray said on August 15, 2015 at 1:45 am
The time and effort to unearth all of the wonderful tools may prove futile; some of the latest news in the tech world comes from "BetaNews":
"Research carried out by Ars Technica shows that even with features disabled and privacy settings activated, Windows 10 continues to send information back to Microsoft. The data is sent by a series of tools including OneDrive, Cortana, and Bing — even when a local account is used."
"Even when a local account is used . . . ."
MyBlackBox said on April 22, 2016 at 2:55 am
There are many users with higher privileges than the human who thinks to own this Windows OS.
Teo Romeo said on August 15, 2015 at 2:41 am
I noticed the lack of better tool. It's called "Remove Windows 10 Spying Features" and can be downloaded here: http://wintoflash.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=42295
Josh Harper said on August 15, 2015 at 10:40 am
I found another script that from the looks of it cleans out A LOT of things.. maybe worth checking out:
http://pastebin.com/Y5UGBanc
DonGateley said on August 15, 2015 at 9:03 pm
Thanks, Josh. Just the sort of thing I've been waiting for. Says it's for Enterprise so I wonder how effective it is on Home edition.
JB said on October 28, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Or Pro.
You'd think they'd at least leave most if not all of this crap out of the Pro & Enterprise editions.
jimbobillyjoe said on August 15, 2015 at 11:55 am
Nice writeup!
Word needs to get out about the Hosts file however. It is no longer the all powerful behemoth it used to be. Some of the phone-homes Win10 does can be blocked in Hosts and they will still work just fine. In Win10 Microsoft put these addresses in system dll's (effectively making them unchangeable/blockable) to prevent precisely this from happening (although Microsoft would probably say they did it to ensure none of the phone-homes could get hijacked by evil terrorists/hackers/Apple employees). Not everything was made untouchable like this though, so Hosts will provide some benefit – but it wont be doing as much as you think it's doing.
The only real way to block the phone-homes is to block the addresses on your firewall – hardware firewall, or your router if it has that functionality. A software firewall installed on your computer can work too if it's built well. No Windows Firewall does NOT block these – Microsoft bypassed Hosts, you really think they wouldn't bypass their own built-in firewall too?
smaragdus said on August 16, 2015 at 1:16 pm
It was not a good idea to include the mouse pointer in the screen-shots above.
Mystique said on August 16, 2015 at 3:55 pm
There are going to be loads of applications/tweakers made available but at the end of the day they are going to be made null by constant updates and checks via windows update.
The only way I can see these tweakers actually keeping an upper hand is to add some sort of driver layer (forgive my bad terminology) to monitor and instantly block or rollback changes that windows updates make to the affected files.
This kind of software and Firewalls may help but at the end of the day Microsoft will just add more "features" to leak out data so unless we have some sort of community to analyze the updates and certify them in house prior to them being public or accepted, of course this adds a delay in which people react to updates but given home users have no choice Microsoft always has the upperhand.
Windows 10 is not looking so great. We all knew Microsoft was a huge corporation but now they are crossing some sort of line in the sand which puts them at odds with ones right to privacy.
I wonder how applications like Glasswire fares against something like this. Will it detect the traffic flow and block it or will it stand idly by and allow such breaches to occur.
MyBlackBox said on August 17, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Glasswire, as cool as it appears, uses Microsoft Firewall drivers.
Dave Simpson said on April 4, 2016 at 7:40 am
Ultimately, the operating system will always defeat apps. It just has more privileges. Hardware is the only thing that can defeat an operating system, and I don't see Intel or HP going against the wishes of the FBI or even Microsoft. Maybe Chinese hardware companies will, but that will open a whole new can of worms.
But these apps will at least work in the short-term and if there are so many of them and if they are updated regularly, and if they run immediately after Windows Update and re-set everything again, then maybe they can make it too much work for Microsoft for a while at least. Nothing a £50m buyout by MS won't resolve, though.
As we've seen with Apple, the whole idea that devices can be secure – even payment systems such as Apple Pay is, ultimately, something the US Government does not want – it just demonstrated it is prepared to go to court to make sure that no device or system is fully secure or exempt from its reach.
tim smith said on August 18, 2015 at 4:55 pm
DONOTSPY 10 is blocked by Malware bytes which is easy to turn off and Avast.
When I tried to use it reported it would not run on home version of windows 10 (upgraded form 8.1) I didn't see a home version on the web page of DoNotSpy10.
Rage said on August 19, 2015 at 2:35 pm
XP-Antispy awakes from the dead:
http://winfuture.de/news,88519.html
It's in German, but in short – XP-Antispy is being re-vamped for Win 10.
John said on August 20, 2015 at 4:12 am
"It's in German, but in short – XP-Antispy is being re-vamped for Win 10"
https://translate.google.com.au/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.winprivacy.de/versionshistorie/&prev=search
Anonymous said on August 23, 2015 at 11:27 pm
Would be easier to use Linux instead.
Thanks for sharing. :S
consorts said on August 24, 2015 at 8:29 pm
DoNotSpy10 1.0.0.2 fails to backup a setpoint, fails to disable Cortana so it does not restart in your task list, and succeeds at putting shovelware on your PC.
tom said on August 26, 2015 at 12:59 pm
A new Tool: http://www.evorim.com/, "Win10 StopSpy"
thanks! said on September 2, 2015 at 6:04 am
Thank you for collecting this information in one place! Really appreciated.
BBB said on September 9, 2015 at 11:29 am
Destroy Windows 10 Spying is open source : https://github.com/Nummer/Destroy-Windows-10-Spying
asdf said on September 17, 2015 at 7:33 am
these 3 works on windows 7
1. destroy windows 10
2. windows privacy tweaker
3. spybot anti-beacon
Eric said on September 29, 2015 at 3:41 pm
Thanks for the September update and a HUGE thank you! Look forward to another update in upcoming months if possible.
Sebastian said on November 16, 2015 at 11:03 am
Great article, thanks! I get a lot of questions regarding this subject. I'll forward those interested to this page.
Keep up the good work :-)
Andry said on November 17, 2015 at 2:31 am
Which program that you recommended or you use now?
Alexamenos said on November 17, 2015 at 9:54 am
Hey Martin! Thanks for the article. But I also have the same question than "Andry", please: "Which program would you recommended and/or you use now?".
Thnxs! ;-)
Martin Brinkmann said on November 17, 2015 at 10:06 am
I like W10 Privacy but that is just a personal preference.
Leandro said on December 8, 2015 at 5:26 pm
john neijzen said on December 10, 2015 at 12:32 pm
DisableWinTracking Has been update lot since you have post this article can pls do update :)
it also has option remove default app of windows
Weltall said on December 21, 2015 at 4:50 pm
After testing the most of them, skipping the ones that seemed too simplistic and lacking options, I have to admit that my favorite is the O&O Shutup 10. I like the slick interface and the nice descriptions, making the program feel really user friendly and nice. I use that in most computers of friends that have Windows 10 and we end up talking about it.
WIth that said, I feel the best though is W10Privacy. If I want to turn off more options, after using O&O Shutup 10, I use W10Privacy, looking to turn off the options that Shutup did not have. There are a handful of options that W10Privacy has more and even if the user interface does not look so user friendly, every option has details about what it does. Even if the user is not so advanced, if they can read something and understand it and of course it is green, they can turn it off. The screenshot might not show it, but W10Privacy has now options marked with colors, to show which are safe to turn off, which are potentially dangerous and which are dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.
Definitely W10Privacy is the best amongst all that I tried, but still if I would suggest an app to someone that does not know much about computers, that would definitely be O&O Shutup10.
dominator said on April 24, 2016 at 4:04 pm
O&O Shutup10 has opencandy adware hidden in it, not sure about W10Privacy. I use Spybot Anti-Beacon, it doesn't come with hidden adwares/malwares.
MaxiMe said on August 2, 2016 at 2:50 pm
And how would O&O ShutUp10 "has opencandy adware hidden in it" when it is portable-only, meaning it doesn't ever triggers an installation procedure? OpenCandy needs to be installed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCandy
"OpenCandy was an Adware module classified as malware by many anti-virus vendors.[…] It is designed to be installed on a personal computer during installation of other desired software."
Please refrain from lies and misinformation.
Anonymous said on December 25, 2015 at 3:31 pm
Easiest way is to just not use win 10.
Cranky said on December 25, 2015 at 11:51 pm
I feel DoNotSpy is not reputable. MALWARE. If the developers are so proud of their software, Drop the Candy Crap (MALWARE!!!! Plain and simple – just try removing the crap!)
My vote is AVOID DoNotSpy – not trustworthy.
Noel said on January 5, 2016 at 4:34 pm
Just curious if there is any utility that will do this job with one click, esp for novice users.
You know, the difference between novice and savvy is just a couple of hours worth of research on what most of these toggled features do. Better than have the software do all the magic with one click and leaving you in blissful ignorance not knowing what you supposedly did to your PC to make it better. Just a thought.
Just one click, in blissful ignorance: select "Express Settings" for Winows 10. That was the problem in the first place!
Its very touching that there is still so much trust and novices believe that just because they move a slider from Yes to No, Windows will actually take notice. Evidence is growing that Windows will not. Windows 10 does some very, very bad stuff – which they are now porting to Win 7 and 8 to deal with Windows 10 Refuse-niks.
That raises a huge question: why would Microsoft work so hard to "develop" old operating systems? Is that clear evidence that it is now NSA Windows rather than MS Windows? And because such "wonderful" hacking ability is built in – watch young girls in their bedrooms, capture keystrokes used to enter user-ids and passwords, maybe for banking – how long before those "features" are used by malware and it becomes Mafia Windows?
And if you think Apple is the solution, well, they don't even pretend to offer the choice of Yes or No. Everything is online, synched, recorded, secret user-ids, device-ids and advertising-user-ids are built-in, and they link all that to your credit card. They only drew the line at being required to hack their own operating system – everything else was clearly absolutely fine with them.
Well this little article here is near priceless . I've been putting off upgrading to W10 ever since it came out, just waiting for people to comeup with their own inventive responses to Microsoft's outrageous invasion of privacy practice. Well, new year new OS I thought. So in preparation I've been diving up to my nose in articles about undoing some of the worst mandatory/hidden tricks W10 forces on you. Now if only I came upon this article sooner, might've saved me a couple of hours of research. Thanks a lot Martin, you saved me from more pointless research.
tom said on January 21, 2016 at 5:31 am
Looks to be a few good features there like remove the metro apps crap , stop it auto updating without you first choosing what updates are installed and which aren't that's how it should be end user in control of their PC's and not some big corporate organisation who doesn't care about a our privacy rights or us
Dominus said on January 28, 2016 at 10:27 am
Thank you for organizing the mess of anti-privacy programs out there.
Helped me alot.
Which one is the best and doesn't come with hidden adwares/malwares shit?
We need a all-in-one single anti-spy software that will disable or delete all spy crap of latest w10.
Dan said on April 25, 2016 at 1:22 pm
Due to the valid points of MS changing things to bypass these tools,
I opt for using these tools PLUS running a small linux box between my cable modem and router.
On this linux box have wireshark and iptables with block first ask questions later type setup.
Do you have link to small linux box? I am thinking a hardware based firewall between modem and computer.
Dan said on April 26, 2016 at 9:17 am
If I had a Pi I would do it on there.
But as it is I am going to design my own on my smallest microATX box.
I tend to trust what I code over just getting a prepackaged util or OS.
surfer100 said on May 28, 2016 at 4:52 pm
O&O ShutUp10 (v 1.3.1356) (free) works well for me. Easy to use and understand. And it monitors subsequent changes to settings so user can either accept or reject them.
Followup: Also, no opencandy adware was installed. Checked with both Malwarebytes and Norton. Each has caught opencandy adware from other software installs, quarantines them, and makes it easy to delete. But nothing with O&O ShutUp10. I downloaded directly from the O&O's website.
bj m said on July 20, 2016 at 7:27 am
Agree, O&O ShutUp10 v1.3.1358 works well for me. I was able to confirm a few reg tweaks and Services tweak.
Even though I've been through Settings numerous times turning off just about every switch. O&O gives me confidence they'll stay off.
Agree, easy to use and understand. And O&O monitors changes with Allow/Deny upon O&O open.
As always, respect and appreciation to Martin Brinkmann
duhhhh said on May 29, 2016 at 12:44 pm
in reply to sylv adware is still a form of spyware and considering that the whole point of this topic is privacy then you can see why it is stupid to post something that is infected with it
Windows said on July 22, 2016 at 5:23 am
windows 7 is my last windows operating system. The only reason I still have windows on my entertainment center pc is because my wife is still learning how to use my less user friendly os builds. Linux is a lot more stable and secure once you put together what you want in your os and dial it in. If you take the time to learn how to do this you will find your experience with your pc/mobile device to be more enjoyable and tailored to your needs. And no you do not need to be a geek to do this, there are plenty of tutorials out there to guide you in the right direction, start small and work your way up. And for those who espouse that they need their windows os for certain programs there are ways to make most windows compatible software by just pointing and clicking and with enough tinkering around and research the rest can be made to work too. I am still wet behind the ears with linux and have to do a lot of research to fix, modify and build but I guarantee my systems run smoother than any comparable system running windows and they do everything windows can. The downside of linux is that you have to put some effort into it ( hello, it is free!!!) to get it the way you want it. There are some ready made builds that are less work like Ubuntu and Mint but even those may need a little tlc to get everything working right (especially for laptops notorious for their graphics and wireless issues but still fixable) but they are very stable, secure and user friendly, a good place to start for a beginner. If you like how Microsoft has become more invasive to your privacy (taking information of any kind from your device without your expressed permission is an invasion of privacy and for those of us that actually read before clicking I accept and know that Microsoft has stated their right to ALL information residing on a machine running windows 10 if you use windows 10 stop screaming rape, you spread your legs when you accepted the eula so you consented to it.
bj m said on July 26, 2016 at 2:36 pm
W10 Privacy is hard for me to embrace due to rough Google Translate.
Be a lot better for me to read with English text and view English pics.
Google Translate reads rough, as if not proof read by native English speaker. IMO
MJ said on August 6, 2016 at 10:33 pm
Good article! Nice to know my choices of telemetry/privacy tools and their features :)
kopija said on August 29, 2016 at 2:54 pm
Destroy Windows Spying is detected as malware and also redirects to some shady crack site.
i214chess said on August 31, 2016 at 7:53 am
Your Spybot Anti-Beacon link was outdated — https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/
Martin Brinkmann said on August 31, 2016 at 7:57 am
Thank you, corrected.
James P. H. Fuller MCSE said on October 5, 2016 at 12:46 am
Trying to block telemetry via the hosts file isn't a whole lot of use. It seems to be The Microsoft Way these days to bypass /etc/hosts (oops sorry, got carried away by nostalgia, I mean C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts) entirely, by hard-coding the IPs of their telemetry-collecting servers right there in the parts of the OS that do the spying and mothership-calling. And if MS needed to change an IP (or add another 17) they have plenty of opportunity to do that via one or more of those unending Windows Updates, which run with Ghod-Almighty-level privileges.
www said on November 29, 2016 at 7:44 pm
This article needs to be updated. Many of these programs haven't been updated in over a year and are now turning into abandonware as Microsoft changes it's telemetry data collection. These Privacy Tools have not kept up with that.
eikelein said on November 30, 2016 at 2:31 am
Well WWW,
Do you know one, or even better several, that has/have been updated?
Then names please..
www said on December 3, 2016 at 12:44 am
Well eikelein,
No need to get mad at me. I don't maintain those programs. I only pointed out that they haven't kept up with the times, that's all.
That being said, I wish I knew of one that's still effective. That doesn't change how out of date this article is.
One should just assume Microsoft will change it's telemetry data collection on a regular basis and not stand still.
steven said on November 30, 2016 at 1:16 pm
https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 is the only privacy tool i know which is up2date
Anonymous said on December 1, 2016 at 5:51 am
@steven:
steven said on December 1, 2016 at 9:43 am
Only Problem with https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 is:
It dont have an auto updater.
So you have to manually update it.
Best solution: Just check the page for new updates from time to time.
surfer100 said on December 13, 2016 at 5:43 pm
O&O ShutUp10 is out with a new update, v. 1386. Includes a new option to "Disable conducting experiments on this machine by Microsoft" (Yikes!!)
JJ said on December 15, 2016 at 9:14 pm
majorgeeks today added Privacy Repairer 1.2.0.0 from Securilla. I like the option of On/Off, 935KB .exe.
Please review. See if it has your approval for your list. Thanks. https://www.securilla.com/privacy-repairer
Martin Brinkmann said on December 15, 2016 at 9:40 pm
Looks good, have added it.
Metipayton said on December 2, 2018 at 1:04 pm
Thanx <3
Anonymous said on August 3, 2019 at 9:50 pm
Privacy Repairer 1.2.0.0 de Securilla contiene malware segun malwarebits
Tony said on December 27, 2016 at 10:38 pm
Martin: This is excellent information. Can you create a similar article for Windows 7?
Stacy said on December 29, 2016 at 2:32 pm
IoT botnets, govt surveillance, hackers, snoopers and blah blah blah are operating really smartly. We really need an encrypted tool for our online security. These are good options but I would like to add more privacy tools, checkout this infographics: https://www.purevpn.com/blog/8-tools-to-enhance-online-privacy/
Dizpo Zabl said on February 8, 2017 at 12:45 pm
Weird, I've been using that stuff for years.
C said on January 11, 2017 at 4:59 pm
@Martin Brinkmann
Maybe it would also be valuable to add to the comparison whether a tools is open or closed source.
Open source gives people more confident in the tool (and the author of the tool).
PsyintZ said on February 14, 2017 at 5:51 am
May I ask why you don't provide a simple link to either download, or visit the home page of these privacy tools?
Evhell said on February 14, 2017 at 8:42 pm
Maybe you can add WindowsSpyBlocker in this list (https://github.com/crazy-max/WindowsSpyBlocker) ?
bjm said on March 13, 2017 at 12:28 am
O&O Shutup10 Version 1.4.1387 – released on 07.03.2017 (March 07, 2017)
someone said on March 19, 2017 at 12:07 pm
Does anyone know why O&O ShutUp10 v1.4.1387.1 tries to connect to the following:
tools.google.com
clients5.google.com
officecdn.microsoft.com
Marto said on March 21, 2017 at 3:23 pm
O&O ShutUp10 Version 1.4.1388 – released on 21.03.2017
Advanced error management when creating System Restore Points
Problems with some systems when creating System Restore Points
Available in English, German, French, Italian and Russian
Privacy Repairer version 1.4.0.0 – released on 2017/02/27
Added an option to send 'do not track' in Microsoft Edge.
Added an option to disable storing DRM licenses in Microsoft Edge.
Added an option to globally disable Cortana for all users.
Added an option to disallow Microsoft from conducting experiments on your system.
Added an option to disable Windows Spotlight on lock screen.
Added an option to disable advertisements on lock screen.
bjm said on April 13, 2017 at 2:07 pm
O&O ShutUp10 Version Version 1.5.1389 – released on April 11, 2017
Extensions and customization for Windows 10 Creators Update 1703 (Build 15063)
see History of Changes
bjm said on May 9, 2017 at 7:49 pm
O&O Shutup10 Version 1.5.1390 – released on May 09, 2017
NNka said on June 11, 2017 at 1:24 am
I think it will be good to have a separate section of programs that have been updated in the past 6 months, or maybe,
updated in 2017. There is some cat and mouse games with Microsoft (Hostsfile entries can be ignored etc.), and programs like Spybot Antibeacon are buggy.
Martin Brinkmann said on June 11, 2017 at 6:50 am
The tablet indicates the last update year.
gaelic said on June 18, 2017 at 3:58 pm
Maybe add the exact date of the update, and not only the year. Or at least the month.
Serg said on June 19, 2017 at 12:43 am
I recommend to check out WPD (https://getwpd.com) it's just a very handy wrapper for most important group policy settings and other stuff. See scr: http://i.imgur.com/ARpEzS8.png
Simon said on June 19, 2017 at 2:44 pm
Just tested on Win 10 CU and very surprised!
I think it works with native windows api to manage all things, that's pretty cool!
Because other programs make changes to Group Policy only though registry, and you won't see changes in Local Group Policy Editor – https://pasteboard.co/1plZyshMW.png NICE!
Ability to delete built-in apps very useful, just uninstalled all garbage except Store :3
Btw Martin, add a link to wpd and "Restore – Yes", cause you can restore (turn on) everything :P
Klt said on June 19, 2017 at 3:31 pm
Firewall IPs used by WPD come from WindowsSpyBlocker (https://github.com/crazy-max/WindowsSpyBlocker)
Btw, maybe you can add WindowsSpyBlocker to your list Martin ?
Martin Brinkmann said on June 19, 2017 at 3:42 pm
Sure I put it on my todo list.
Daniel said on February 15, 2018 at 6:17 pm
Hi Martin, what about Abelsoft Win10 Privacy Fix ver 2.0?
I'm particularly upset by the Update functions, which often take control of my PC and do not let me work.
Franck said on June 19, 2017 at 12:36 pm
Wonderful sum-up post !
Hybc40 said on July 9, 2017 at 11:47 pm
What's is the best and updated for Windows 10 Creators Update?
Odin said on September 5, 2017 at 10:49 pm
I personally find win10privacy to be the most complete out of all of these.
And_privacy_for_all said on July 10, 2017 at 7:36 am
I second that. Which is best for Windows 10 Creators Update?
I think Blackbird will come out with a new version in a while. But which is best right now apart from Blackbird? Thanks!
asd said on September 3, 2017 at 4:14 pm
Unfortunately all of these are abandoned and should be labeled as such. O&O ShutUp10 which seemed like one of the most professional ones is abandoned since May… looks like Micro$oft won the battle of invading our privacy.
Dominus said on September 3, 2017 at 5:04 pm
WPD seems to still be updated. I use that and O&O.
Divergent Droid said on May 10, 2019 at 12:41 am
O&O ShutUp 10 is Not abandoned. They released an update 3 days ago and is good for Spring 2019.
Anonymous said on October 4, 2017 at 11:30 pm
Win10 Initial Setup Script
https://github.com/Disassembler0/Win10-Initial-Setup-Script
gigi said on October 6, 2017 at 9:33 am
I really recommend this one, it's an open source script, run using PowerShell. You can view the script easily and verify the modification been done to your system before you run it.
I strongly recommend to use only open source tools. When using non-open source tools, you give them access to modify your Win10 without the ability to verify what changes that have been made.
Yes, you can use ProcessMonitor to view the changes, but it's difficult and troublesome to verify. And you can only verify the changes after running the tools.
There is also danger something like CCleaner attack happens, you are at risk running questionable executable program on your system.
mustafa said on October 18, 2017 at 8:43 pm
windows 10 rs3 1709 for new antispy?
Anonymous said on October 22, 2017 at 10:59 pm
Deutscher Journalist ? Warum gibt´s die Seite dann nicht auch auf Deutsch ?
marilyn.hanson said on September 8, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Ich glaube, weil es Doppelarbeit ist und die Beiträge sich an ein internationales Publikum richten … Kannst es ja übersetzen und ihm zumailen – vielleicht veröffentlicht Martin die Übersetzungen dann ja. Oder ist Dir das zu viel Arbeit? Das denkt Martin wohl auch …
Frank said on November 25, 2017 at 2:31 pm
Thank you Martin for your very useful guide.
1) In your your introduction, you number the tools 1 to 19. I suggest you add those numbers to the name of each program in the Table *and* to the heading for each program in the text. For example, "W10Privacy" would become "6. W10Privacy" in the Table, and again later in the text (just above the screen-shot). This would make it much easier to relate the Table to the text entries. It would also help distinguish between entries with similar names (such as programs 4, 5 and 6).
2) In the Table, for W10Privacy you list Backup/Restore as "Yes/Yes", but in the full entry in the text you say, "W10 Privacy offers no backup and restore functionality. This means that you need to create a System Restore point or other type of backup manually before you use it to modify system settings." Which of these statements is correct?
Jake said on January 13, 2018 at 9:25 am
Thanks for this article. i read daily ghacks is very good website, I use shutup10.
e575 said on January 26, 2018 at 11:42 pm
We're using donotspy10 since it was out (HOME or PRO). Defender is the only virus stuff we have since 10240.. Also, disabling the 55 telemerity rules.
Plus blackviper Services <>. Services review ends on disabling about 72 of them. Turning OFF all Windows feature in program and features. The first thing we do after a clean install.
90 to 95% of switches are set OFF. Removing OneDrive, set Tor browser default and duckduckgo is HOME page and default search engine in Firefox x64.
We never open Edge and we always have an eye on secret settings. Ccleaner runs every day and tiles and MS apps are deleted from there.
WE DON'T TRUST MS,!?! Set that way we never ever have problems. We don"t do upgrade; we frequently perform a clean install instead.
On top we don't backup anything and perform a full cleanup of hdd by doing a clean install of Linux LVM partitioning scheme with overwrite empty space enabled.
Anonymous said on April 25, 2018 at 9:26 am
Privacy Guardian
https://pegasun.com/privacy-guardian
DavidH said on August 14, 2018 at 8:34 pm
I think you should clean up this list a bit and maybe separate abandoned projects into an archive section. For instance, the author of Windows 10 Privacy Fixer even writes himself: "I've wrote this Tool at the time there were no GUIs for Privacy Changing available. Since then way better Tool like O&O ShutUp10 are available"
jake said on October 11, 2018 at 11:45 pm
Invaluable resource. I use Linux but recently picked up a Win10 machine. While I'm only doing minimal work on Windows right now, I may need to use it more extensively in the future. When I started to look at all the (anti-)spyware apps, it was overwhelming. This list, plus info on whether projects are still active has already saved me days of research!
musti said on October 12, 2018 at 4:16 pm
for version "win10 1809" ?
FOSS said on December 28, 2018 at 4:58 pm
Could you add another column for whether or not the program is open source?
surfer100 said on May 10, 2019 at 12:59 pm
I have just updated to the most recent version, 1.6.1402. This is an invaluable free utility.
IlikeWin10 said on October 15, 2019 at 8:19 pm
Windows Privacy Tweaker is outdated.
Last update from 09/05/2018 !
werner said on October 30, 2019 at 7:37 pm
I found this "antitrack" blocker. maybe for your comparison list:
https://pointstone.com/products/antitrack-for-windows-10/
i think the next question is which are the best three tools. *smile*
Alex said on December 29, 2019 at 3:30 am
Debotnet should be added:
https://www.ghacks.net/2019/12/24/reclaim-privacy-on-windows-10-with-new-debotnet-tool/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Sally Newman with the cygnet she rescued at College Reservoir.
A woman risked her own safety to save a young swan which had got itself entangled in fishing line and was stuck for hours at College Reservoir.
Sally Newman, 67, put on her wetsuit and scrambled down an embankment to get into the water to rescue the stricken bird at the reservoir in Penryn.
Because the bottom of the dam is incredibly muddy, she had to hold on to branches and tread water while trying to retrieve the cygnet, and her husband Guy, 81 had to help pull her out.
She said she did not regret her actions and would do it again if necessary. In fact, it was not the first time the couple have helped injured swans in the area.
The couple, who have been feeding the swans at College and Argal Reservoirs every day for many years, went home to get Sally's wetsuit and some tools to cut back the branches on the bank.
She said the cygnet, which was nearly the size of an adult swan, had "almost given up" by the time she got to it.
It was first spotted at 10am on Monday and Sally, a community nurse, got the reservoir after she finished work at 2.30pm.
The family of swans at College Reservoir.
"Its parents had been hanging around but after a couple of hours got fed up and left and went to an island on the reservoir," she said. "We tried the RSPCA but they said it would be four days as it wasn't a priority. It would have been dead by then."
She said panic only really set in after she had got hold of the bird. "I was worried about the mud, as I would have sunk if I stood in it.
"I managed to get down the bank and held on to branches and treaded water. I got my arm around it and it hissed but was so exhausted.
"It was tangled in fishing line and sticks. It was around its legs, its wings. It couldn't get away as it was wound around everything. I snapped the line and tucked the bird under my arm.
"I was a bit panic-stricken as I didn't have much to hold onto and the water was up to my chin. I hung on to the trees and treaded water and Guy got the edge and pulled me out.
They used sissors to cut the wire off and wrapped the tired bird in a towel while they decided what to do with it.
Once it stood up, they made sure it had no injuries and decided the best thing would be to release it back into the water. It immediately swam towards the island to its parents.
The next morning they went back and were delighted to find it was still with its family and seemed no worse off for its ordeal.
Three weeks ago the couple found themselves having to wrangle with a fully grown adult male at Argal after they found it with a fish hook in its beak.
Last year they rescued a cygnet with a leg injury which was taken to West Hatch for treatment.


The hymnal is a treasure trove of strength, comfort, and clarity.
Yet, it seems that all too many churches have disconnected to they hymnal.
One of my earliest memories is of my mother showing me the pages of the hymnal as she sang in church. I could see the lines, and shapes of the notes, but because I couldn't yet read, the words between the lines didn't register with me.
But I could see the notes.
My first understanding of music flowed from a hymnal, and those hymns continue to serve as the soundtrack of my life. In the sorrow and tragic moments of my journey as a caregiver, the hymns anchor and connect me to a vast chorus of individuals strengthened and encouraged by their words and familiar tunes.
When harsh moments such as what happened in Las Vegas assault us like a brick in the face … "when sorrows like sea-billows roll" … I, along with countless others are comforted by the great hymns of the faith.
I can't count the number of times I've gone to the piano in our home to musically "work out angst." Nor can I count the times, when, as she struggled to deal with unrelenting pain and sorrow, Gracie's voice would lift from bed or her wheelchair and sing along with me.
"When words fail, music speaks." -Hans Christian Andersen.


IPSWICH hero Jon Stead fired the Tractor Boys to their first away win of the season and lifted some of the pressure off Roy Keane.
Stead had his boss punching the air in delight when his 85th-minute shot sneaked into the net after hitting Cardiff defender Mark Hudson.
Keane looked set to suffer another miserable afternoon when Peter Whittingham volleyed the home side in front in the 35th minute with his 13th goal of the season.
But Cardiff switched off after the break and allowed Ipswich to pull off their smash-and-grab raid in the final 17 minutes.
Skipper Jon Walters hauled the visitors level with a stunning 20-yard strike before Stead, who replaced the ineffective Tamas Priskin early in the second-half, condemned Cardiff to their third successive defeat.
Keane, who began his Portman Road reign with a 3-0 win at Cardiff in April, said, "I've had my fair share of luck in Cardiff.
"I've had some good wins here as a manager and I had some good wins as a player at the Millennium Stadium.
"If you look at the whole game I thought we deserved the win.
"We conceded a sloppy goal but there's a great spirit in our camp and we showed that in the second half.
"We've had a poor start to the season but I'm confident we'll get out of this situation. I'd be losing sleep if my players weren't up for the fight but that's not the case.
"The lads have always stuck together and we know we can do better than what we've been doing this season.
"I've made a lot of changes at the club and we've also had a few injuries so it's going to take a bit of time for things to fall into place.
"We've drawn too many games this season so it's very pleasing to get this win.
"Steady has been coming off the bench and scoring important goals for us and Jon's equaliser was a fantastic strike.
Ipswich should have taken the lead after four minutes when Carlos Edwards picked out Walters but he headed over from six yards.
Whittingham hit the bar twice in five minutes before Ipswich suffered a hammer blow in the 25th minute when keeper Richard Wright hobbled off with a knee injury.
That meant a Tractor Boys debut for Arran Lee-Barrett and the ex-Cardiff trainee's first job was to pick the ball out of the net after Cardiff's pressure finally paid off.
Michael Chopra flicked on Jay Bothroyd's header to Whittingham who smashed a left-foot volley past the 25-year-old stand-in.
But Cardiff lost their goalkeeper David Marshall during the break with a groin injury and his replacement Peter Enckelman failed to impress.
First he was beaten by Walters' 73rd-minute scorcher and then by Stead's late strike.
Furious Cardiff boss Dave Jones said: "Our second-half performance was the worst we've played at home this season.
"I can't remember us stringing three passes together. There was no quality.


Gold is the metal of the sun. Just like the sun holding the balance between the 3 inner planets and the 3 outer planets, gold holds an inner balance between the substances. It is associated with the heart, again an organ that holds the balance between the upper and the lower physiology.


text:
Nov 15th "Connection"
Register TODAY to meet Elisa Camahort Page, Christine Arylo and Shiloh Sophia on November 15 (6pPT/9pET)
On Tuesday, November 15 (6pPT/9pET) we are celebrating the theme of "Connection" with Elisa Camahort Page (BlogHer cofounder; SheKnows Media Chief Content Officer), author and spiritual catalyst Christine Arylo, and artist Shiloh Sophia.
Q: Where is this happening?
A: Join us from your computer to get into Virtual Reality, at AltSpaceVR
Q: Do I need Virtual Reality gear to join in?
A: No Virtual Reality gear? No problem! Our show is presented by AltSpaceVR and they have options for you, including 2D mode (that means you can watch from your laptop).
Q: Is there special software?
A: If you want to join us (meaning pick an avatar) you will need to allow 5-10 minutes to register for a log-in and download the software at AltSpaceVR
Q: What if I have a question for a guest?
A: If you want to submit questions for any of our guests as you watch or in advance, you can:
Email us: ChewOnThisStorytelling (at) gmail (dot) com
Tweet: @ChewOnThisStory
We check these during the show and will reply as well as we can.
HOPE TO SEE YOU IN VIRTUAL REALITY!
More about Elisa Camahort Page:
Elisa Camahort Page co-founded BlogHer, Inc., in 2005 with Jory Des Jardins and Lisa Stone. The company was acquired in 2014 by SheKnows Media where she now serves as the Chief Community Officer. Elisa has appeared on or been quoted in USA TODAY, New York Times, CNBC Squawk box, and more. Together, BlogHer's co-founders were named among Fortune's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2013, in the Ernst & Young Winning Women Class of 2011, and among the seven most powerful people in new media by Forbes Magazine. Elisahas also been honored as an NCWIT Hero, an AlwaysOn Power Player, and as one of the AWM's Sixty@60. Elisa is a founding Fellow of the Society for New Communications Research and serves on the Board of Directors of the 42nd Street Moon Theatre in San Francisco, the programming advisory committee for SXSW Interactive and SXSW V2V, and the Board of Advisors for Oakland's Hack the Hood and the Our Hen House animal rights non-profit.
More about Christine Arylo:
Christine Arylo is a transformational teacher, women's leadership advisor and mentor, internationally recognized speaker and three-time best selling author. After earning her MBA and climbing the corporate ladder for a decade, she chose to devote her life to helping people transform and architect lives that were both successful + sustainable, in which their hearts and souls could thrive. Known as a kind of "modern day mystic" her transformational programs, workshops, retreats and talks based on the feminine power and leadership, yogic techniques and earth-based wisdom, have transformed the lives of over 35,000 women on 6 continents. You can tune into her thought provoking insights on her weekly podcast, Feminine Power Time, at http://www.FemininePowerTime.com or on her regular blog on Huffington Post. She loves speaking in person and virtually with people, and has been a featured speaker at TedX, Emerging Women, Kohler, Gap, Wharton and many other women's conferences, retreat centers, and organizations and companies worldwide. Connect with her at ChristineArylo.com.
More about Shiloh Sophia:
Shiloh Sophia lives life as a great adventure narrated by the creative fire of her Muse! She has been painting, writing poetry, publishing books and teaching at universities, the United Nations and in her own programs and around the world for over twenty years.
Her soul work is inspired by the idea that self expression is a basic human right. That each person has a right to know how they think, and feel, and the freedom to express that in the world. Her research and development around this idea has focused on serving women and girls through giving them access to methods of transformational art making through stories, symbols and inquiry.
She is the co-curator and founder of the Intentional Creativity Foundation and Cosmic Cowgirls, a woman and girl owned school and they serve between 500 and 2500 women a month through revolutionary education. Their school, inn and museum is located in Sonoma County. She also has a teacher training, Color of Woman, which certifies women to teach Intentional Creativity worldwide.
Currently there are close to 200 teachers in the lineage of Intentional Creativity. She lives in the vineyard lined hills with her husband, also a poet and artist, Jonathan. Their Muses can be found most mornings having tea and discussing quantum physics, philosophy and sacred texts in the Red Thread Cafe.
www.shilohsophia.com
www.cosmiccowgirls.com


Religion poisons everything, I wrote only this morning, quoting Christopher Hitchen's famous subtitle to his best-selling book, God is not Great. In that article, I pointed out that heinous, religiously inspired, atrocities occur every day and sure enough, I didn't have to wait long; this afternoon, one such event has happened.
'Suicide bomber kills 7 at church in Pakistan' shouts the CNN headline. Their report tells us that more than twenty other people were injured and taken to hospital. It could have been worse because there were two suicide bombers but only one managed to detonate before they were both shot dead by a church security guard, who responded very quickly, to his credit. Responsibility has been claimed by Khorasan an Afghanistan and Pakistan based fundamental Islamic group, affiliated to ISIS.
Given that the target was a Christian (Methodist) church and the perpetrators were Muslim it's obviously an example of a religiously inspired attack. This is so unnecessary, considering there is no evidence for any god. I fear that, if we were to set up an Atheist News channel, we would need a scrolling text banner at the foot of the screen constantly updating with breaking news of religious atrocity after religious atrocity.


text:
Telecommunications in Morocco
Title: Telecommunications in Morocco
Subject: Economy of Morocco, Telecommunications in Western Sahara, Privatization in Morocco, Telecommunications in Benin, Telecommunications in Algeria
Collection: Communications in Morocco, Internet in Morocco, Telecommunications by Country, Telecommunications in Africa, Telecommunications in Morocco
The following is an outline of communications technology in Morocco.
Telecoms industry 1
Telephone system 2
Domestic telephone system 2.1
International telephone system 2.2
Radio broadcast 3
Telecoms industry
While the Moroccan telecoms market remains under-saturated, its three mobile operators have experienced robust growth in recent years, both at home and abroad. Meditel, which received a mobile licence in 2000, is the kingdom's first private operator, holding 36.69% of the market. While the company performed strongly last year, registering a 17% growth in client base (to 7.4m) over the first three quarters of 2008, it began to falter as consumer spending slowed, resulting in a 1% annual increase in turnover for Q2 2009. Meditel's focus on lower-income markets impacted their average revenue per user, which fell by 16%, but the resulting expansion of the customer base helped drive up the country's mobile penetration rate from 65.7% in 2007 to 74% in 2008. Meditel's biggest competitor is Maroc Telecom, holding 60.71% of the market. A former state monopoly now controlled by French entertainment giant Vivendi, Maroc Telecom is one of the region's fastest-growing multinational telecoms operators, actively pursuing expansion across northwest Africa, including Gabon, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. MT has announced plans to create a fibre-optic network connecting the Moroccan cities Laâyoune and Dakhla to Nouadhibou, which would ultimately be extended to other North African countries.
Meditel and MT operated a duopoly until 2008, when the state regulator Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Télécommunications waved in Wana, owned by Morocco's Omnium Nord Africain. Though holding a tiny share (2.6%) of the voice market, this new player has captured a majority of the 3G market (69.11%). Total subscribers for this new technology increased 527% in 2008. Earlier this year, Wana sold a 31% stake for €228m to the partnership of two Kuwaiti companies, mobile operator Zain and Al Ajial Investment Fund Holding, to help finance the roll out of its 15-year 2G GSM network at the end of 2009. Moroccans pay a very high rate for Internet access but the connection is slower than dial-up. This is due to the fact that Moroccan consumers are not protected, nor do they know that Americans pay half the rate and receive high speed internet access.
main lines in use: 2.394 million (2007) : estimation
mobile cellular: 21 million (2007) : estimation
Domestic telephone system
Morocco has a good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links. The internet is available but expensive. The principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat. The national network is nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links. An improved rural service employs microwave radio relay.
International telephone system
The system has seven submarine cables, three satellite earth stations, two Intelsat (over the Atlantic Ocean) and one Arabsat. There is a microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain and the Western Sahara. Coaxial cables and microwave radio relays exist to Algeria. Morocco is a participant in Medarabtel and a fiber-optic cable links from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia.
AM stations 25,
FM stations 31,
shortwave 11 (2007)
Radio sets: 7.78 million (2007)
Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 35 repeaters) (2007)
Televisions receivers: 5.6 million (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 27 (1999)
Country code (Top level domain): MA
The country has more than 16,3 internet users in 2012.[2] Operated by Maroc Telecom. The service started as a test in November 2002 before it was launched in October 2003 and it's one of the most technologically advanced Internet services in the African continent. The service is offered by the subsidiary Menara. It offers the following options:
Menara ADSL 4 Mbit/s (around €10)
Menara ADSL2+ 12 Mbit/s (around €20)
The installation is free, but the ADSL modem or router is not always free (only during promotions).
Méditel offers 3G in 2 different options:
Méditel 3G+ 7.2 Mbit/s (around €12)
Méditel 3G+ 14.4 Mbit/s (around €20)
Similar to Méditel, Maroc Telecom 3G is offered in the same different speeds and almost the same prices.
INWI, formerly known as Wana offers 3G for MAD200 per month (€19) in its offer "Internet Mobile".
Ministry of Communications of Morocco
^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html
^ Africa Internet Statistics
Morocco Telecom market
Maroc Telecom IPO
MTDS Licensed Moroccan ISP
Economy of Morocco
Industries and sectors
Desertec
Medgrid
Casablanca Stock Exchange
Autoroutes
ONCF
Tanger-Med port
Regional economies
Agadir Agreement
Euro-Med FTA
GAFTA
Morocco–United States FTA
Bank Al-Maghrib
Plan Azur
Plan Emergence
Falus
Currency: Moroccan dirham
Internet in Africa
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
States with limited
other territories
Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla / Plazas de soberanía (Spain)
Madeira (Portugal)
Mayotte / Réunion (France)
Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
Internet in Asia
States with
limited recognition
Telecommunications in Africa
Communications satellite
Electrical telegraph
Heliographs
Hydraulic telegraph
Optical telecommunication
Optical telegraphy
Prepaid mobile phone
Radiotelephone
Telecommunications history
Telegraphy
The Telephone Cases
Timeline of communication technology
Undersea telegraph line
Videotelephony
Edwin Howard Armstrong
John Logie Baird
Lee de Forest
Philo Farnsworth
Reginald Fessenden
Elisha Gray
Alexander Stepanovich Popov
Johann Philipp Reis
Camille Papin Tissot
Alfred Vail
Vladimir K. Zworykin
Free-space optical
Telephone lines
Terrestrial microwave
Network topology
and switching
Terminal node
Network switching (circuit
packet)
Space-division
Frequency-division
Time-division
Polarization-division
Orbital angular-momentum
Code-division
BITNET
Public Switched Telephone
Telecommunications in Asia
Telecommunications in Europe
Telecommunications in North America
Telecommunications in Oceania
Associated states of New Zealand
Dependencies and other territories
Telecommunications in South America
Mass surveillance
Internet in Morocco
Communications in Morocco
World Wide Web, File sharing, Instant messaging, Email, IPv6
Dependent territory
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, Puerto Rico, European Union, Antarctica, United Nations
Sport in Morocco, Morocco national rugby union team, Music of Morocco, Moroccan national football team
List of states with limited recognition
North Korea, South Korea, Holy See, Taiwan, South Ossetia
Telecommunications in Egypt
Egypt, Telecommunications in Armenia, Telecommunications in Azerbaijan, Telecommunications in China, Telecommunications in Cyprus
European Union, World Bank, Algeria, Casablanca, United States
Telecommunications in Western Sahara
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Economy of Western Sahara, Telecommunication, Telecommunications in Egypt, Telecommunications in Morocco
Privatization in Morocco
Economic history of Morocco, Telecommunications in Morocco, Tourism in Morocco, Agriculture in Morocco, Morocco
Telecommunications in Benin
Telecommunications in, Telecommunication, Internet, Benin, Telecommunications in Algeria
Telecommunications in Algeria
Telecommunications in, Internet, Algeria, Italy, France