For a very long time, Microsoft has been gathering information about its customers. In actuality, Microsoft keeps track of your information even if you don’t use Windows. The business keeps tabs on how users interact with Windows, the websites they visit, and the programs they download to their smartphones and tablets.
Additionally, it gathers data on the hardware in your home that runs the program, such as your network or set-top box for your television. Still unsure of your desire to defend yourself? Here are some of the ways Microsoft keeps personal data and what you can do to minimize the amount of sensitive information it can get from each of your devices:
How you can secure with some useful changes.
You might not be able to stop Microsoft from gathering information about you, but you can still make some helpful adjustments. For instance,
- Change your browser: If you use the Edge browser on Windows 10, there is a way to stop it from logging your browsing activities and sending them uninvitedly to Microsoft. Uncheck the box next to “Use voice recognition” under Settings > Privacy > Speech & Audio Control.
- Block targeted ads: Go to Settings > System > Notifications & activities under General settings to prevent seeing advertisements that are specially designed for you depending on the websites or apps that others you know have already opened. When installing new apps or upgrading existing ones, click the option that says “Allow apps from unknown sources” in the bottom left corner of the screen.
You may not be able to get rid of the targeted ads—Unless you switch to google Chrome Or Mozilla Firefox and install an ad blocker.
There are also browser extensions that block all advertisements, but they’re tougher to identify and install than ad blockers.
If you’re using a desktop computer, try searching for “ad blocker” in Google’s Chrome store (or another search engine). But if you’re using a VPN then firstly turn on the VPN because with Chrome VPN your IP address is hidden and you can easily block the Ads. And if it doesn’t work, as sometimes people are not familiar with VPNs then try searching for “adblock+installation instruction.”
These searches will lead you directly to instructions on how to download and set up uBlock Origin—an effective technique of blocking all kinds of online trackers but still giving websites such as Facebook and Twitter access so they may serve adverts depending on what you’ve been browsing online.
Disable Cortana’s speech recognition and history tracking
Follow these actions to preserve your privacy:
- To launch the Run command, use the Windows key plus R. Once you’ve entered “gpedit.msc,” hit Enter. Next, press OK to launch the Group Policy Management console. Examine the policy settings that Cortana uses for voice recognition and history tracking (you might need to expand Advanced user settings or Search). If neither of the boxes adjacent to them is already checked, uncheck them both:
- Select each one separately, click the Change Settings link next to its line(s) under the Conditions section(s), and then, when a dropdown list comes below it, choose the Disabled radio button (if necessary). Once the reboot operation has been completed successfully and without any problems, exit this window by clicking the Done button beneath the Summary section to permanently disable all known settings related to Cortana voice recognition and history tracking.
Stop Microsoft from sharing diagnostic data with itself and its partners
A plethora of built-in apps in Windows 10 has access to your private data, including your location, address book contacts, and calendar appointments.
You can prevent Microsoft from sharing diagnostic data with itself and its partners if you are concerned about privacy. Click Review privacy options, scroll down and enter your Microsoft account login information at account.microsoft.com/privacy. Then change its settings.
See what personal data Microsoft stores in its cloud about your computer
Your Microsoft account is the same as your Xbox Live account, and it allows you to play games on Windows, watch videos through the web browser, and even use Office applications. But the most important part of a Microsoft account is its privacy settings. By default, Microsoft collects diagnostic information about how you use the software and hardware on your computer, plus error messages that may occur when a piece of software fails.
You can see what personal data Microsoft stores in its cloud about your computer or change the diagnostic data setting by going to Settings > Privacy & General > Diagnostics & feedback. This page lists all of the diagnostics features available for each app. Now, you can change the setting.
Ways to change privacy in Microsoft
Microsoft stores your information in two ways and you can change them.
- Sign in to account.microsoft.com/privacy, click Review privacy options, and scroll down.
- iOS: Devices > General > Account. *Under Family & other users, choose your child’s account and click Edit privacy settings.
Conclusion
This article explains the Microsoft account and how to set it up. Use these procedures to see if your browser is providing Microsoft data.
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