gerbick | # 121 | 2016-01-26, 18:39 | Report

I do not mind admitting that I could be wrong; however it offers you two options. Dismiss or Set Reminder. There is the "Find Flights and More" option but even turning this one setting off, Cortana service(s) are still aware of those events; just search for that day of your plans and it will pop up still despite you turning that option off.

Feel free to prove otherwise.

Edit: Adding some clarification of what we had tested. Feel free to add your notes.

Internally, we had somebody do the following. Then forwarded an email to themselves with their pending flight (future plans)... and it was on their calendar. Thinking back, we will have to test the possibility that he did have his calendar synchronized as a possible way this could have appeared. However, on my own personal device and testing device - which is not synchronized with my calendars, if I search for the date for my upcoming travel plans, it shows up. I just have to search for that day.

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Last edited by gerbick; 2016-01-26 at 19:45.

strongm | # 122 | 2016-01-26, 20:27 | Report

This is detailed under 'Can I control what data Cortana collects' on http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/w...na-privacy-faq

gerbick | # 123 | 2016-01-26, 20:46 | Report

Yes. I know where it came from... even stated that it was quoted from Microsoft.

I do think that I'm still asking a question that's yet to be answered. Even turning that off, the dates/travel still shows in the calendar. The problem is deeper than just Cortana.

So far, you've yet to share a method to avoid it - and I'm slowly proving that turning it off doesn't really help the user.

strongm | # 124 | 2016-01-26, 23:00 | Report

Sorry, hadn't seen your edit when I posted my reply.

gerbick | # 125 | 2016-01-26, 23:12 | Report

Yep. Take notice of this statement from Microsoft:

That part states that Cortana will still have access, thus Microsoft will have access, to any/all information and you're simply dismissing the notifications and not disabling/stopping the collection of that information.

That's my original point wherein there's no way to turn that "feature" off and in latter versions of Windows, that service collects even more information and now extends into your calendar (current) and reminders (current/future) and to your mobile and contacts (future). That data will remain to be collected.

That will fuel a lot of paranoia unfortunately.

mr_pingu | # 126 | 2016-01-27, 07:40 | Report

Isn't that the same thing as Apple does with dates in e-mails, or tomorrow evening and makers it clickable to make an event in Calendar?

strongm | # 127 | 2016-01-27, 08:00 | Report

Not quite sure that - in context - that's quite how I read it, but I can see how it might be seen that way. Need to find something definitive, I guess.

Copernicus | # 128 | 2016-01-27, 10:24 | Report

Hmm, dunno; I've never used Apple e-mail, but instead Thunderbird. But, two things:

1) Cortana is not an e-mail program; thus, I suspect it would try to search your mail regardless of what e-mail client you use.

2) Cortana is one of the new breed of "AI" programs that operates off of a centralized server rather than on your local computer. Therefore, any and all of the data it collects can and will be sent to Microsoft for processing. (Apple may do this with Siri as well, but I don't have an Apple phone to check, and Siri hasn't yet been pushed to OS X.)

strongm | # 129 | 2016-01-27, 10:45 | Report

Currently, according to Microsoft documentation, it only works with the Modern mail app that ships with the OS. Having said that, I can only assume that a future goal is that it'll work with alternative email clients.

pichlo | # 130 | 2016-01-27, 13:56 | Report

I do not use Apple and do not know what they do with emails but if I understand the above correctly, that is not the same thing at all. The above sounds similar to what many email clients have been doing for years - search for certain patterns in the email text and if they find something that looks like a URL, highlight it and make it clickable. Many phones do the same thing in SMS - highlight things that look like URLs or phone numbers.

There are two major differences between that and what Cortana does:
1) User interaction is required. You need to click on the highlighted bit. Cortana does the job for you.
2) Both the search and your response remain local to the device, unless you choose otherwise (e.g. by syncing your calendar). Cortana does it through a Microsoft server somewhere.