Disable connectivity checks
Overview
This category contains privacy scripts for Windows.
These changes use Windows system commands to update your settings.
This category contains scripts that disable various connectivity checks performed by Windows.
Connectivity checks allow Windows to assess network status and quality. These checks involve communication with Microsoft servers, which may raise privacy concerns. Disabling these checks reduces data sent to Microsoft, potentially enhancing your privacy.
Connectivity checks are considered noise because they constantly generate small amounts of network traffic. Noise in networking refers to excessive data that doesn't help data transmission. This has both security and performance implications.
Connectivity checks can contribute to fingerprinting, as they regularly communicate with specific servers. Fingerprinting in network terms is a way to identify or track a device based on its unique characteristics or behavior. These regular checks can potentially be used to identify or track your device on a network.
Connectivity checks can be seen as a form of homecalling because they involve your device regularly communicating with Microsoft servers. Homecalling is when software automatically sends data back to its creator or a third party, often without the user's explicit knowledge or consent. While the primary purpose of these checks is to ensure network functionality, they also provide Microsoft with information about your device's online status and potentially your location 1. Disabling these checks stops the automatic 'calls home,' enhancing privacy but potentially affecting system functions.
Disabling these checks may enhance privacy by:
- Reducing data transmission to Microsoft servers
- Limiting the collection of your IP address and location information 1
- Decreasing the attack surface for potential vulnerabilities
However, disabling these checks may also lead to several side effects, including:
- Inaccurate reporting of network status (e.g., showing "no internet" when connected) 2 3
- Issues with captive portal detection (hotspot) common in public Wi-Fi networks 4 5 6
- Functionality problems in some Microsoft and third-party applications 1 2 7 8
- Reduced ability to automatically adapt to different network environments
Consider your privacy needs and the potential impact on system functionality before applying these scripts. Some users may find the privacy benefits outweigh the inconveniences, while others might prefer to keep these checks enabled for smoother network interactions.
This may lead to:
- Lack of immediate feedback on network status.
- Potential functionality issues in the system and applications that rely on NCSI for network information.
- Reduced ability of Windows and other components to determine internet connectivity.
- Windows and other software may incorrectly report that you're offline.
- Issues with automatically opening the sign-in page when a captive portal (hotspot) is detected.
Be careful running these scripts. This category includes scripts with high impact:
- 🔴 Some not recommended scripts. They should only be used by advanced users. They may break important functionality.
- 🟡 Some recommended scripts only if you understand its implications. Some non-critical or features may no longer function correctly after running this this category.
Implementation Details
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Language: batch
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Scripts Count: 6 scripts
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Required Privileges: Administrator rights
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Compatibility: Windows only
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Reversibility: All changes can be reverted
Apply now
These scripts are written using Batch (batchfile) scripting language.
Choose one of two ways to apply:
- Automatically via privacy.sexy: The easiest and safest option.
- Manually by downloading: Requires downloading a file.
Alternative 1. Apply with Privacy.sexy
privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily.
It allows selectively choose parts of this action to conduct. You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using the application. Additionally, you can apply only the recommended scripts, instead of applying all of the scripts.
privacy.sexy instructions
- Open or download the desktop application
- Search for the category name:
Disable connectivity checks. - Check the category by clicking on the checkbox of the category.
- Click on Run button at the bottom of the page.
Alternative 2. Download
You can choose to apply only scripts with less impact or also those with higher impact:
Strict
Recommended if you understand its implications. It may cause some non-critical features to no longer function correctly.
All
Not recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality. It provides military-grade privacy, for special use-cases. Do not run it without having backups and system snapshots.
Consider restarting your computer for all changes to take affect.
This action is completely reversible, you can restore your changes to the initial/default state. The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.
If something goes wrong, use the Revert script provided above.
Strict
This script includes Standard and Strict recommendation levels.
This script is only recommended if you understand their implications of every single change. Some non-critical or features may no longer function correctly after running this script.
Download Strict scripts:
Restore these changes if you decide to revert them by downloading the restore script:
All
This script includes Standard, Strict recommendation levels along with unrecommended scripts.
This script should only be used by advanced users. Some of these changes are NOT recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality. Do not run it without having backups and system snapshots.
Download all scripts:
Restore these changes if you decide to revert them by downloading the restore script:
Explore further
This category includes total of 6 scripts but no subcategories.
Explore its 6 scripts:
Disable active connectivity tests (breaks internet connection status, captive portals)
This script prevents Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) from performing active connectivity checks. Active Probing Overview - NCSI checks internet connectivity by requesting and downloading specific web pages. This process is also known as active probing or active tests. Active probing checks internet connection by accessing certain URLs: "http://www.msftconnecttest.com/connecttest.txt". • "http://www.msftconnecttest.com/redirect". • "http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt" (on earlier v...
Disable passive connectivity tests (breaks internet connection status)
This script stops passive connectivity checks on your Windows device. Passive connectivity tests are also known as Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) or passive polling. It tracks the network activity of applications on your computer. This feature is turned on by default. These tests run every 15 seconds by default. They use information from received data, such as recently sent or received packets and their Time To Live (TTL) values, to determine network status. When NCSI fails to ...
Remove "Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI)" app (breaks internet connection status icon)
This script removes the "NcsiUwpApp" system app. It is also known as the "Network Connectivity Status Indicator Universal Windows Platform App". It is primarily responsible for indicating network connectivity status. The NCSI feature provides the functionality that allows Windows to offer visual feedback on network connection status, usually seen at the bottom-right of the taskbar. It is used not only by the Windows operating system but also by third-party applications for determining network co...
Block Microsoft connectivity check hosts (breaks internet connection status, captive portals)
This script prevents Windows from connecting to Microsoft connectivity check URLs. This script enhances your privacy by blocking specific hosts that Microsoft uses to collect your IP address. The blocked hosts are: "msftncsi.com" • "www.msftncsi.com" • "dns.msftncsi.com" • "ipv6.msftncsi.com" • "msftconnecttest.com" • "www.msftconnecttest.com" • "ipv6.msftconnecttest.com" However, this script may cause several side effects: It disrupts captive portal (hotspot) detection. • It impairs functionali...
Disable "Network Location Awareness (NLA)" service (breaks auto-reconnect, connectivity status, network identification)
This script disables the Network Location Awareness (NLA) service. NLA collects and stores network configuration information and notifies programs of changes. This data collection can pose privacy concerns. It determines network connectivity type and properties, helping Windows manage connections. NLA uses the Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) to assess internet connectivity. NCSI is responsible for detecting Internet connectivity status. Key functions of NLA: Generates unique identif...
Disable "Network List Service (NLS)" service (breaks connectivity status, network identification, network connection icon, connectivity with some Microsoft apps)
This script disables "Network List Service (NLS)" service. This service is technically identified as "netprofm". NLS collects and stores properties for connected networks and notifies applications of changes. It manages network-related information similarly to how a computer caches domain name IP addresses. Benefits of disabling NLS: Disabling this service halts communication with Microsoft servers for connectivity detection. Any service or application is a potential point of attack. It's a secu...
Explore Categories
This action belongs to Disable OS data collection category. This category configures Windows using 153 scripts. These scripts are organized in 33 categories. The category includes 14 subscripts and 13 subcategories that include more scripts and categories. Read more on category page ▶
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