With a view of allowing users more control over their privacy settings, Microsoft announced yesterday the new Privacy changes and Settings coming to Windows 10 Creators Update. Microsoft said that the New Privacy changes are aimed at providing clear choices and easy-to-use tools to Windows 10 users to gain control of what information they are sharing to the operating system.
Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Group, posted on Windows Blog,
“Many of you have asked for more control over your data, a greater understanding of how data is collected, and the benefits this brings for a more personalized experience. Based on your feedback, we are launching two new experiences to help ensure you are in control of your privacy”
The upcoming Creators Update to Windows 10 will also allow those upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8 easy access to change Privacy settings.
New Privacy changes in Windows 10 Creators Update
Microsoft explains that there will be 2 new experiences coming with Windows 10 Creators Update,
- Windows 10 users will have access to a new web-based privacy dashboard where they can see and control their activity data from Microsoft including location, search, browsing, and Cortana Notebook data across multiple Microsoft services.Users will just have to sign in with their Microsoft account, and navigate to account.microsoft.com/privacy to review and clear data such as browsing history, search history, location activity, and Cortana’s Notebook.
- Second, Creators Update will also replace previous Express Settings which will look slightly different depending on the Windows version. While those moving from Windows 7 or Windows 8, will clearly see important settings and will have to choose them to move ahead, existing Windows 10 users will get notifications to choose privacy settings. Microsoft said that it has changed its Diagnostic data collection from three levels to two. Users can choose either Basic or Full. Choosing a Basic level would mean that lesser data will be sent to Microsoft.
Lastly, Microsoft said that it has further reduced the data collected at the Basic level which includes the data that is vital to the operation of Windows. Also, no matter what privacy options a user selects, Microsoft vows never to use the contents of email, files, chat, or pictures to target relevant ads.