Windows 10 FUD Fades Fast

Complaints about Windows 10 keep rolling in, but so far none appears to have stuck.

The latest brouhaha is over certain privacy settings. Windows 10 gives users many options to disable certain data-gathering and reporting features, but it appears that some communications to Microsoft servers still slip through.
So far, there doesn't seem to be anything shifty or harmful about those interactions -- but to some users, they're unsettling. Why is Microsoft doing that?

Wi-Fi Sense and Sensibility

Another thing that just didn't seem to make sense to some early adopters was Windows 10's Wi-Fi Sense feature. The controversy over it already seems to have died down, but just a few weeks ago it was the subject of a raging debate.
Wi-Fi Sense automatically connects users to open WiFi networks and can grant their friends access to their own password-protected networks.
Users who want to provide friends access to their password-protected WiFi networks send their passwords through an encrypted link to a Microsoft server, which stores it in encrypted form before sharing it with those friends.
Concerns were raised that hackers might be able to find and extract the passwords, or that someone could "friend" potential victims to get access to their networks.
Another scenario envisioned users being stalked by contacts who'd been given their passwords.
Wi-Fi Sense requires that users give access to all of their contacts or none of them. It doesn't allow them to be selective about who gets access.
Another fear was that people given access to users' WiFi networks might be able to hack into other devices connected to those networks in order to steal data and personal information.
"You're providing access to your network and getting access to networks you may not be sure are secure," observed Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.
"It's a neat feature, but it could be used against you if you aren't careful," he told TechNewsWorld. "You want to be sure you're giving access to, and getting access from, people you trust."