More than 60 percent of Windows users would switch to Mac for more privacy
Concerns over Windows 10 and the amount of data it collects via the Windows Store could prompt users to switch to Mac according to a new survey.
The study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of security and privacy advice and comparison website Comparitech.com finds that 61 percent of the US public who regularly use Windows would at least consider switching to Mac.
In the UK the figure is even higher at 67 percent, with 15 percent saying they would definitely consider swapping. Only 33 percent in the UK and 39 percent in the US say that they would not contemplate switching operating systems.
The poll results come in the wake of France ordering Microsoft to remedy multiple privacy failings in its latest operating system. The French National Data Protection Commission pointed to three specific cases where it found the operating system's collection of user information to be excessive.
The Windows Store collects data on the apps users download and the time spent on each one without permission; Windows 10 installs an advertising identifier by default, which allows Microsoft to monitor browsing and target users with ads; and Windows Store authentication, which allows users to set a 4-digit PIN instead of a password, doesn't restrict the number of attempts to enter the correct code.
"These issues are things that have set off alarm bells within the security community on release of Windows 10 a year ago. Now, with France taking the next step in ordering Microsoft to fix them, it’s a small win for privacy and the wider public who have expressed concerns," says Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate for Comparitech.com. "Companies tend to take these issues seriously when people start voting with their wallets, so hopefully the results from this survey should serve as a wake-up call that consumers are becoming more privacy conscious".
You can see more information on the survey results on the Comparitech blog. Would privacy concerns make you give up Windows for Mac? Tell us in the comments.
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