Well I noticed that malware thing on comments, but it is also possible to be false positive considering what it does.

I wonder how difficult it would be to write a script or some form of malware to turn the privacy settings on and keep them on without the user knowing?

Here's another one that illustrates a point a few have been making: http://techtites.com/stop-personalised-ads-microsoft/

Note the date on this page: August 2013. So yes, this isn't something new in Windows 10; it's something that has always been there.

Note the date on this page: August 2013. So yes, this isn't something new in Windows 10; it's something that has always been there

That's right, this started with Windows 8.

However, with Windows 8, you knew when it would happen (well, you do know with Windows 10 as well... happens always...) and you could avoid it simply by not using the Bing Weather metro app and the Bing Health app, and so on (basically, all the new dumbed down shit with big colorful tiles that nobody really needs).

In Windows 10, it more or less already happens when you open the start menu. Or possibly when you turn on power...

I recently typed gpdedit into the search box in my Virtualbox Win10 install to check whether you could really no longer permanently disable Defender.
The letters appear in the search box: g-p-e-.... [0.5 second pause after each, telling...] and the face of some scary looking guy with a turban and a long white beard shows up in the middle part of my start menu. Really, what the fuck? I am not interested in guys with long beards, and I don't want them in my start menu. I also don't want anything I type forwarded in real time over the internet either. I'm not sure why Microsoft thinks it's a good idea to show this guy's photograph to me. Are his initials G.P.E.? I wouldn't know, and I don't want to know. I don't want these kind of fuckshit surprises.

Look, I just want the computer to do what I tell it to do. Nothing extra, and nothing different.

It's not just about privacy, by the way. Bandwidth might not be included, it might actually cost me real money (not the case, but possible). My modem might have to dial in just to download that crap (not the case, but possible). My mobile phone might run low on battery on an important call later (surely not the case, I'd rather die but use a Windows phone) only because Windows keeps downloading junk that I don't want to see and keeps displaying flashy stuff, burning CPU cycles and keeping the wireless/LTE hardware powered all the time when it wouldn't be necessary.

Your computer should never do stuff that is not useful or stuff that you don't want it to do -- not without being explicit and letting you choose ahead of time.

@samoth:

This is also not something to be attributed to Windows (10), mobile devices do that all the time. My iPhone also does a search through the web when I type in something in the device search. While it appears to be more restrictive (only shows wikipedia-entries and one new article) it sure does send it through the web eigther way. So you wouldn't have much luck with any mobile device for that matter - or does android not do that?

I have to say though that this kind of shit is also not what I'd want for a desktop OS. I was already displeased with Win8 merging mobile & desktop, i'm not too fond of that developemet eigther.

I really believe that we are seeing with Windows 10 what is happening in general in the world: Corporations and governments are conniving to extract as much from us as they can, whether by consent or trickery.

This is globalization. This is The New World Order era when corporations rule over us more and more. The new government is the global oligarchy. You will have decreasing ability to bring grievances and redress. They complicate The New World Order in order to exploit you.

If you have read the book "1984" by George Orwell, then you realize that we have been warned about these things a long time ago.

I recently typed gpdedit into the search box in my Virtualbox Win10 install to check whether you could really no longer permanently disable Defender.
The letters appear in the search box: g-p-e-.... [0.5 second pause after each, telling...] and the face of some scary looking guy with a turban and a long white beard shows up in the middle part of my start menu. Really, what the fuck? I am not interested in guys with long beards, and I don't want them in my start menu. I also don't want anything I type forwarded in real time over the internet either. I'm not sure why Microsoft thinks it's a good idea to show this guy's photograph to me. Are his initials G.P.E.? I wouldn't know, and I don't want to know. I don't want these kind of fuckshit surprises.
Look, I just want the computer to do what I tell it to do. Nothing extra, and nothing different.

So you go to your search settings and disable online search. No more beards, search is now local-only, your computer does what you tell it to and nothing more.

It's probably worth discussing whether or not online search (together with all the other nonsense) should have been enabled by default, but please don't behave as though you don't have the ability to configure it otherwise.

I wonder how difficult it would be to write a script or some form of malware to turn the privacy settings on and keep them on without the user knowing?

Probably pretty difficult, unless the user turned off UAC. OS settings, program folders, and the like are generally protected from edits like that.

Not much motivation for a hacker to do it either, unless they could already redirect the traffic to their own site somehow (which, again, would require a UAC bypass or hack of a system external to the target like a router or ISP).

The default should be the most secure setting, not enabling things which many people don't need or know about.

I'd rather die but use a Windows phone

Couldn't disagree more :) , WP8.1 has the best UX and best UI (IOS UI is a joke without consistency, Android is on the right way with Material design but based on Android). But I am pretty sure I'll hate Windows 10 Mobile :/