>even kaspersky does it

Thats an awfully low standard to set don't you think?

I don't think it makes sense for the public. Stealing files from unsuspecting users without as much as a popup saying "hey, we just snatched this file without you knowing this is even a possibility" is just sad.

EDIT: i just realized you are being ironic

How is it stealing? Do you lose your copy?

Sure wish I could go back and edit these comments to replace steal with "dubiously authorized copying"

Im saying dubiously authorized because I bet no more than 5 out of a 100 windows users are aware this is even happening...

While it has been normalized, the ops point is correct that the lip service to client data being sacred, does not match the actions of uploading clients data!

That's whataboutism. I absolutely do not want Microsoft grabbing stuff from my PC without asking me, it's so insidious. And then they put the switches to turn these off behind so many loops and registry flags that's it's a nightmare to turn this crap off.

And, if you turn off automatic sample submission, the Windows Defender icon in the task tray displays a scary exclamation mark, warning you that you might not be secure.