August 9, 2017 - Millions of people have made the switch from older versions of Microsoft Windows to Windows 10. As soon as you make the change, it is glaringly apparent that Microsoft made some big changes to their operating system. But what is less apparent is just exactly how much information Windows 10 shares with the company that makes it. The answer is, "quite a bit." As a Windows 10 user, you do have the ability to reduce the amount of information being shared with Microsoft, but the company hasn't made that easy. Many of the privacy settings are buried, and they aren't real easy to find. There is a recent video from PC World that provides some easy instructions to enhance Windows 10 privacy. After the video, we've included some additional tips.

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Now that you've watched the video, you may have tried to find privacy settings only to discover that they aren't exactly where the video says they are. It's frustrating but there are different versions of Windows 10 on the market and the settings for each of them are a little different. Don't despair. Just click on the Cortana icon in your task bar… that's the bold circle just to the left of the Windows icon. Then, in the search box, type "privacy settings" without the quotation marks. At the top of the display,  under "best match" you should see "Privacy Settings." Click on that.

A new window should have opened up with navigation running down its left side. Start with the "General" privacy settings and make any changes you see fit. Then move down the list through the other privacy settings; Location, Camera, Microphone, etc…  As you go through the list, pay special attention to any setting that is in the "on" position. If you don't have a need to share your information with other applications, or across your network, start turning these settings off. The end result of this will be that your privacy will be much better protected than it was when you started.

byJim Malmberg

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