Microsoft can log your full browsing record and share it with the FBI
Court filings reveal that Windows records a user’s complete browser history and can transmit the data to the FBI, even when a VPN is used.
Recent court documents detail how a teenager affiliated with the Scattered Spider cyber-crime ring was traced after breaking into a luxury jeweler’s network. The hacker used a VPN on a Windows PC, expecting to conceal his identity, but the system’s Global Device Identifier recorded his entire browsing history. Microsoft’s Windows platform retained this data and, under legal pressure, could forward it to the FBI.
The incident highlights a little-known mechanism by which Microsoft can expose VPN users to government surveillance. Critics argue this practice erodes the privacy guarantees that VPNs are meant to provide. The revelation raises broader concerns about the extent of telemetry built into consumer operating systems.
Why it matters
It shows that standard privacy tools like VPNs may not shield users from government access via Windows telemetry.
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