Microsoft Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer Lets You See Data Collected From Your Device

Microsoft, in order to become more transparent, has announced an app called Windows Diagnostic Viewer. This feature will provide an overview of data being sent to Microsoft's servers by Windows 10. Microsoft has faced years of flak for allegedly collecting excessive data on users of its Windows 10 operating system, raising privacy concerns. It has since done much to allay those fears.

After making several attempts to give more control to users, Microsoft's latest release is the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer. The company has given an early preview of the Viewer to Windows Insiders and the feature will be widely available in the next release of the operating system, codenamed Redstone.

Microsoft 's Marisa Rogers, Windows and Devices Group Privacy Officer, says, "Our commitment is to be fully transparent on the diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices, how it is used, and to provide you with increased control over that data. This is all part of our commitment to increase your trust and confidence in our products and services."

The Diagnostic Data Viewer provides users with features such as view, search and filter diagnostic data. The diagnostic data presented in the menu includes, OS name, version, device ID, device class, diagnostic level selection, device properties, preferences and settings, peripherals, device network information, device health, performance and reliability data, movie consumption functionality, installed applications, install history, and more. The Viewer is separate from the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard.

Microsoft has also updated the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard with a new Activity History page to provide easier navigation way to see the data saved with a user's Microsoft account. It will also allow users to manage their data and change what data is collected by adjusting the privacy settings on their device or browser.

From the French data protection authority to the European Union, Microsoft has faced years of criticism for tracking its users. In 2016, France had ordered the company to stop collecting excessive user data from Windows users and serving them personalised ads without their consent. Also, in February 2017, the European Union data protection watchdogs had said that they were still concerned about the privacy settings of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system despite the US company announcing changes to the installation process.

As a result, with the Windows 10 Creators Update in April 107, the company had released the details of the data that could be collected by the operating system with consent from the users - at both Basic and Full levels.