After using a USB device on a Windows computer, you probably use the Safely Remove Hardware option to disengage the device before unplugging it. Do you assume that every trace of the device has been ...

Unplugging a USB drive doesn't mean Windows immediately forgets it. The operating system keeps a record of it, but probably ...

Use left and right arrow keys to seek audio. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows installations include what is called a Global Device ID (GDID), a persistent, unremovable identifier that links a user ...

The arrest of a teenage hacker has revealed that Microsoft can track a Windows PC and its online activity through a “Global Device ID" that seems to have no easy opt-out, sparking fears about ...

Windows keeps registry records of USB storage drives after they are unplugged. Microsoft documents why, what the entries hold ...

Persistent telemetry nightmare. For over a decade, consumer privacy discussions surrounding Windows have centered on optional diagnostic settings, targeted advertising toggles, and local telemetry ...

VPN provider Windscribe released deGDID on July 27, a free, open-source PowerShell script that strips Microsoft's Global Device Identifier from a Windows installation and stops the operating system ...

A teenager allegedly used a VPN to cover his tracks while hacking a US jewelry retailer, but Microsoft knew anyway. Court documents unsealed in the US case against Peter Stokes, a 19-year-old dual ...

A Hacker's Arrest Reveals Microsoft Can Track Users Via a Windows Device ID The FBI used a Microsoft device identifier, dubbed GDID, to link a teenager to a hack attributed to Scattered Spider, ...