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Microsoft Changing Windows 10 Privacy Controls

January 11, 2017

One of the big complaints about Windows 10 concerns privacy and the amount and type of data Microsoft collects by default. Microsoft will be releasing the Creators' Update, which will revamp how privacy is managed. The user can control how much data is collected as part of the initial setup and what is collected in day-to-day operation. Microsoft has created an online dashboard that lists some of the personal data that is collected from PCs and other devices and sent to Microsoft. According to Microsoft,

When you are signed in with your Microsoft account, you can go to account.microsoft.com/privacy to review and clear data such as browsing history, search history, location activity, and Cortana's Notebook – all in one place. This is our first step in expanding the tools that give you visibility and control over your data spanning Microsoft products and services, and we will continue to add more functionality and categories of data over time.

Some critics say that the controls are not granular enough. As mentioned in the Register, the two settings are on and almost off. If you're really concerned about what and how much data is sent to Microsoft, I would suggest using other guides or utilities and manually adjusting settings.

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