Since Windows 8, Microsoft has moved to a new commercial strategy: in addition with traditional selling of OS licenses, started got revenues from searches, apps and games.
But to do this, MS has started the collection of 'telemetry' data, considered by many users as privacy-relevant.
Dost is video me maine host file edit krwaya hain.HOST FILE EDIT IN WINDOWS 10,how to block internet connection for coreldraw so lets watch. You should also be aware: this hosts file will block certain functions and services like Bing search, Cortana and One Cloud. Windows updates will still be able to download. Windows 10 does communicate directly to IP addresses which bypass the hosts file. You would also have to block Microsoft's IP addresses Windows 10 communicates with. That is what Windows HOSTS file does. On most Windows systems, the HOSTS file content is used preferentially over other methods, such as the DNS. With the proper use of Windows HOSTS file, you can.
What is Windows 10 telemetry?
According with a ZDNet article [4]:
Microsoft defines telemetry as 'system data that is uploaded by the Connected User Experience and Telemetry component,' also known as the Universal Telemetry Client, or UTC service. (More on that shortly.)
Microsoft uses telemetry data from Windows 10 to identify security and reliability issues, to analyze and fix software problems, to help improve the quality of Windows and related services, and to make design decisions for future releases.
Telemetry features aren't unique to Microsoft and there's nothing particularly secret about them. They're part of a larger trend in the software industry to collect and analyze event data as part of a shift to data-driven decision making.
Block Hosts Files Filmora
To the delight of privacy conscious users, there are a lot of tutorials [5] and suggestions focused on avoid (or rather, reduce) the gathering of informations collected from Windows 10, using tools like PeerBlock[1], personal firewalls, network devices (like a Pi-Hole[2]).
In my opinion, a good trade-off may be a simple change on the 'hosts' file.
What is 'hosts' file?
The hosts file is used to map hostnames to IP addresses, and its data overrides the results of DNS queries.
It's a plain text file, located in the Windows folder, at the following path:
A customized hosts file
Usually i use a custom hosts file created by encrypt-the-planet.com[3]: the file was realized analyzing with wireshark a dump of outgoing traffic of a brand-new Windows 10 installation.
Obviously, this is not a final solution.
According with ETP's notes:
Hosts File Download
You should also be aware: this hosts file will block certain functions and services like Bing search, Cortana and One Cloud. Windows updates will still be able to download.
Windows 10 does communicate directly to IP addresses which bypass the hosts file. You would also have to block Microsoft's IP addresses Windows 10 communicates with.
How to install the custom file?
Just four simple steps:
- Open this link, and copy the whole text
- Start (with administrative rights) a Notepad (but Notepad++ is better) and open the hosts file in C:WindowsSystem32driversetchosts.
- Replace the original hosts content with the text copied at step 1
- Save the file and restart your system.
References
A collection of hosts files for domain blocking. If you find something in a list that you believe is a mistake or breaks functionality, please open a ticket and I'll consider removing it. Also, if you find an unblocked subdomain of a blocked root domain, please let me know so I can add it to a list.
Ads & Tracking:239,338 hosts
A programmatically expanded list of hosts used for advertisements and tracking. This is my primary list and I recommend using it. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
Facebook:16,742 hosts
A hosts file to block all Facebook and Facebook related services, including Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
AMP Hosts:9,066 hosts
Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are taking over the web. Block AMP pages with this list. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
What is Windows 10 telemetry?
According with a ZDNet article [4]:
Microsoft defines telemetry as 'system data that is uploaded by the Connected User Experience and Telemetry component,' also known as the Universal Telemetry Client, or UTC service. (More on that shortly.)
Microsoft uses telemetry data from Windows 10 to identify security and reliability issues, to analyze and fix software problems, to help improve the quality of Windows and related services, and to make design decisions for future releases.
Telemetry features aren't unique to Microsoft and there's nothing particularly secret about them. They're part of a larger trend in the software industry to collect and analyze event data as part of a shift to data-driven decision making.
Block Hosts Files Filmora
To the delight of privacy conscious users, there are a lot of tutorials [5] and suggestions focused on avoid (or rather, reduce) the gathering of informations collected from Windows 10, using tools like PeerBlock[1], personal firewalls, network devices (like a Pi-Hole[2]).
In my opinion, a good trade-off may be a simple change on the 'hosts' file.
What is 'hosts' file?
The hosts file is used to map hostnames to IP addresses, and its data overrides the results of DNS queries.
It's a plain text file, located in the Windows folder, at the following path:
A customized hosts file
Usually i use a custom hosts file created by encrypt-the-planet.com[3]: the file was realized analyzing with wireshark a dump of outgoing traffic of a brand-new Windows 10 installation.
Obviously, this is not a final solution.
According with ETP's notes:
Hosts File Download
You should also be aware: this hosts file will block certain functions and services like Bing search, Cortana and One Cloud. Windows updates will still be able to download.
Windows 10 does communicate directly to IP addresses which bypass the hosts file. You would also have to block Microsoft's IP addresses Windows 10 communicates with.
How to install the custom file?
Just four simple steps:
- Open this link, and copy the whole text
- Start (with administrative rights) a Notepad (but Notepad++ is better) and open the hosts file in C:WindowsSystem32driversetchosts.
- Replace the original hosts content with the text copied at step 1
- Save the file and restart your system.
References
A collection of hosts files for domain blocking. If you find something in a list that you believe is a mistake or breaks functionality, please open a ticket and I'll consider removing it. Also, if you find an unblocked subdomain of a blocked root domain, please let me know so I can add it to a list.
Ads & Tracking:239,338 hosts
A programmatically expanded list of hosts used for advertisements and tracking. This is my primary list and I recommend using it. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
Facebook:16,742 hosts
A hosts file to block all Facebook and Facebook related services, including Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
AMP Hosts:9,066 hosts
Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are taking over the web. Block AMP pages with this list. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
Hate & Junk:811 hosts
This is an opinionated list to block things that I consider to be hateful or just plain junk. This list isn't for censorship, but rather websites that I wouldn't want my children to read without having a discussion first. Topics include but are not limited to hate groups, anti-vax, flat earth, and climate change denial. You are welcome to use this list if you like. If you disagree with something in this list... well, that's just, like, your opinion, man. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
Tracking Aggressive:16,201 hosts
I do not recommend this list for most users. It is a very aggressive block list for tracking, geo-targeting, & ads. This list will likely break functionality, so do not use it unless you are willing to maintain your own whitelist. If you find something in this list that you think is a mistake, please open a ticket and we can discuss it. Keep in mind that this is an aggressive list. This list was last updated on December 09, 2020.
Google Fonts
I do not blockfonts.gstatic.com. However, I do block gstaticadssl.l.google.com. If you are using the Ads & Tracking list and are having issues with fonts.gstatic.com, then you might be using a blocker that blocks based on CNAME. Depending on your blocking tool, you might want to whitelist fonts.gstatic.com to prevent it from getting blocked by gstaticadssl.l.google.com CNAME. See: #197, #136, #213
Xbox Live Achievements
Turns out Xbox Live Achievements is using a common Microsoft tracking server. If you are using the Ads & Tracking list and want to continue getting Xbox Live Achievements, then you might need to whitelist a couple domains. Since I do not have an Xbox, I can't really help you with that, but please see #161 for details.
