Windows 11’s Health service isn’t spying every 15 minutes, Microsoft says
Microsoft officially denied viral social media claims alleging that a background service in Windows 11 called "Windows Health and Optimized Experiences" (whesvc) secretly spies on users every 15 minutes. The controversy erupted after viral posts claimed the service tracks CPU usage, thermals, and battery levels before automatically transmitting that telemetry back to company servers. Scott Hanselman, deputy technical director at Microsoft, clarified that the process collects performance data strictly for local troubleshooting and only sends diagnostic reports if users explicitly opt-in. However, Hanselman acknowledged that the current service description in Windows is confusing and promised that Microsoft will update the text for greater clarity. The backlash reflects deep-seated consumer skepticism following previous privacy scares surrounding screen-monitoring features like Windows Recall.