Could France Ban Windows 10?

French authorities have issued Microsoft a formal notice to stop collecting data via Windows 10. According to the notice, issued by the Chair of the National Data Protection Commission (CNIL), Microsoft’s latest operating system is in breach of the French Data Protection Act by collecting user data and tracking browsing habits without consent.

The notice, made public by the CNIL on its website, accuses Microsoft of being excessive in its data collection – which is not required to support the operation of the software – which it does without user consent, and of failing to offer users adequate security to protect their Microsoft accounts.

“The CNIL found that the company was collecting diagnostic and usage data via its telemetry service, which uses such data, among other things, to identify problems and to improve products,” the notice reads. “To this purpose, Microsoft Corporation processes, for instance, Windows app and Windows Store usage data, providing information, among other things, on all the apps downloaded and installed on the system by a user and the time spent on each one. Therefore, the company is collecting excessive data, as these data are not necessary for the operation of the service.”

The CNIL notice has been made public both in order to “enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights” and because of “the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory).” While the notice is not a legal sanction, it could lead to further proceeding should Microsoft fail to comply with it within the three-month deadline.

The notice also reveals that other French data protection authorities are investigating Windows 10, independent of the CNIL, which could lead to further action against Microsoft.