New Delhi: If you use a Windows laptop or PC, then it is very important to be cautious about some important settings. In the name of improving and personalizing the user experience, some features present in Windows continuously collect data to your use. Many users are not even aware of this.
If these settings are not disabled in time, your system will continue to send data to Microsoft. This may affect your privacy and may also increase the risk of digital surveillance. In such a situation, it is important to know which settings collect data and how they can be controlled.
The Windows diagnostic data setting collects data about your system performance, app usage, crash reports, error messages, and the features you use most. This information is sent to Microsoft, so that the company can fix bugs and improve system updates.
If you want to limit this data sharing, go to System Settings and open Privacy & Security. After this, the send option diagnosis feed data can be turned off by going to the diagnosis feed section.
Windows creates a unique advertising ID for every user. Through this ID, apps track your behavior and show personalized advertisements. If you want to avoid interest-based ads, this feature can be disabled.
For this, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > General and turn off the Advertising ID option.
While installing an app on a laptop, permissions like microphone, camera, calendar and contacts are asked. Most of the users allow all the permissions without checking. Some permissions are necessary, but many apps also take unnecessary access.
To check app permissions, go to Settings > Privacy & Security and open the App Permissions section and turn the permission on or off as per need.
Location services are not required in most laptops and PCs. Despite this, if this setting remains on, information about your physical location continues to reach Microsoft.
To avoid this, go to Settings > Privacy & Security and open the Location section and turn the location setting on or off as per your need.
