A lot of users don’t realise that Windows doesn’t focus on security or privacy by default, resulting in many people not realising their settings are compromising their privacy.
In the article, the writer explains the top 10 settings that Windows users must change to increase security and enhance their privacy.
For number 10,Telemetry, the Windows operating system gathers data regarding system usage, performance and app usage, sending it back to Microsoft.
To avoid this, you can adjust your settings to limit the information that is sent back, preserving CPU and memory that can be drained by background services.
Number 9, Advertising ID, reveals a unique ID that tracks user behaviour and uses it to serve personalised ads. The author suggests deactivating this to prevent Microsoft from tracking you through other services.
Number 8, Location Services, suggests turning off location services altogether as they are not as accurate as phone apps yet can still expose your daily habits and routine.
Number 7, Automatic App Updates in the Microsoft Store, advises pausing updates as you can only pause them for up to 5 weeks only and not permanently.
