Windows Privacy: Limiting Telemetry and Activity History

Windows, by default, collects a considerable amount of data about your usage, system performance, and activity. This data collection is part of Microsoft's ongoing effort to improve the operating system, its services, and related products. Understanding what kind of data is collected is the first step towards controlling your privacy.

Windows data collection falls into several broad categories:

• Telemetry: This encompasses diagnostic data about your system's hardware, software, and performance. It includes information about errors, crashes, and resource usage. Telemetry data is used to identify and fix bugs, optimize system performance, and inform future development.
• Activity History: This tracks the apps you use, the websites you visit, and the documents you work on. It's designed to provide features like timeline sync across devices and suggestions for resuming previous activities.
• Location Data: If enabled, Windows can track your device's location. This is used for location-based services like maps and weather apps.
• Advertising ID: A unique identifier linked to your Microsoft account, used to personalize advertising across Microsoft services.
• Speech, Typing, and Inking: If you use voice recognition or handwriting input, Microsoft may collect samples of your speech, typing, and handwriting to improve these features.

While Microsoft claims this data is anonymized and aggregated, concerns remain about the potential for re-identification and the overall impact on privacy. Especially crucial when thinking about Separating Work and Personal Life: Accounts, Profiles and Devices

Windows offers different levels of telemetry data collection, allowing you to control how much data is sent to Microsoft.

1. Diagnostic Data Viewer: Before making any changes, it's helpful to see what data is currently being collected. Search for "Diagnostic Data Viewer" in the Windows search bar, enable it, and then review the information being sent.
2. Access Privacy Settings: Open the Settings app (Windows key + I).
3. Navigate to Privacy: Click on "Privacy."
4. Diagnostic & Feedback: Select "Diagnostics & feedback" in the left-hand menu.
5. Diagnostic Data: In the "Diagnostic data" section, you'll see the available options. In some enterprise or educational settings, your administrator may have locked this setting.
   • Required diagnostic data: This is the minimum level of data required for Windows to function properly. It includes basic system information and crash reports.
   • Optional diagnostic data: This level includes more detailed information about your system's usage, including websites you visit and apps you use. This is where you can significantly cut down on data collection.
6. Disable Tailored Experiences: Scroll down to "Tailored experiences" and uncheck the box that allows Microsoft to use your diagnostic data to provide personalized ads, tips, and recommendations.

Recommendation: For maximum privacy, choose "Required diagnostic data." If you are concerned about privacy, remember the principles discussed in Digital Hygiene: How to Minimize the Collection of Your Data

Activity History tracks your app usage, web browsing, and file access. You can disable this feature and clear existing data.

1. Access Privacy Settings: Open the Settings app (Windows key + I).
2. Navigate to Privacy: Click on "Privacy."
3. Activity History: Select "Activity history" in the left-hand menu.
4. Uncheck "Store my activity history on this device": This disables the local storage of your activity history.
5. Uncheck "Send my activity history to Microsoft": This prevents your activity history from being sent to Microsoft's cloud.
6. Clear Activity History: Click the "Clear" button to delete existing activity history stored on your device.

Important: If you use multiple devices linked to your Microsoft account, you need to disable Activity History on each device separately.

The Microsoft Privacy Dashboard (privacy.microsoft.com) allows you to view and manage some of the data Microsoft has collected about you. You can:

• View your activity history: See the websites you've visited, apps you've used, and searches you've performed through Microsoft services.
• Manage your location activity: View and clear location data associated with your Microsoft account.
• Manage your advertising settings: Turn off personalized advertising and clear your advertising ID.
• Manage your Microsoft Health data: If you use Microsoft Health services, you can view and manage your health data.
• Export your data: Download a copy of the data Microsoft has collected about you.

Regularly checking the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard allows you to stay informed about what data is being collected and to take steps to protect your privacy.

Control which apps can access your location.

1. Access Privacy Settings: Open the Settings app (Windows key + I).
2. Navigate to Privacy: Click on "Privacy."
3. Location: Select "Location" in the left-hand menu.
4. Turn off "Location for this device": This disables location services for all apps on your device. Alternatively, you can leave it on and individually control which apps can access your location.
5. App Permissions: Scroll down to the list of apps and toggle the switch next to each app to allow or deny access to your location.

Disable the collection of speech, inking, and typing data.

1. Access Privacy Settings: Open the Settings app (Windows key + I).
2. Navigate to Privacy: Click on "Privacy."
3. Speech: Select "Speech" in the left-hand menu. Turn off "Online speech recognition".
4. Inking & Typing Personalization: Go to Privacy > Inking & typing personalization. Turn off "Getting to know you".

Protecting your privacy is even more important when using Windows for both personal and professional work. Here are some practical recommendations:

• Separate User Accounts: Create separate user accounts for personal and professional use. This keeps your data isolated and prevents accidental data sharing. This goes hand-in-hand with Separating Work and Personal Life: Accounts, Profiles and Devices
• Virtual Machines: Consider using a virtual machine for either personal or professional work. This provides an extra layer of isolation and security.
• Privacy-Focused Browser: Use a privacy-focused browser like Firefox with privacy extensions or Brave for personal browsing. This helps prevent websites from tracking your activity. Enhance your browser with the tips in Browser Privacy: Hardened Browsers, Search Engines and Tracker Blockers
• VPN: Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your internet traffic and mask your IP address. This can help protect your privacy when browsing the web.
• Review App Permissions: Regularly review the permissions granted to apps on your system and revoke access to unnecessary features.
• Use Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. Consider using a password manager to help you generate and store passwords securely.
• Keep Software Updated: Keep your operating system and applications updated with the latest security patches.

By implementing these recommendations, you can significantly enhance your privacy while using Windows for both personal and professional purposes.