You Won’t Believe What Microsoft Knows About You! Learn How to Take Control and Stop Tracking Now!
As technology continues to advance, the issue of online privacy becomes more and more prevalent. One company that has found itself at the center of this debate is Microsoft. With products like Windows, Office, and Skype dominating our digital lives, it’s no surprise that Microsoft collects a lot of data on its users. But just how much do they know about you? And more importantly, how can you take control and prevent them from tracking your every move?
What Does Microsoft Know About You?
Microsoft collects a wide range of data from its users, including:
- Basic information such as your name, email address, and billing details.
- Technical data such as your device type, IP address, and operating system.
- Usage data such as what apps and programs you use, how long you use them for, and your search queries.
- Content such as emails, documents, and instant messages.
This might seem like a lot of information, but Microsoft claims that it uses it all to improve its products and services. For example, it might use your search data to make its Bing search engine more accurate, or your usage data to identify bugs in its software.
How Does Microsoft Track You?
So how does Microsoft collect all this data? There are a few ways:
Cookies: Like most websites, Microsoft uses cookies to track your activity across its sites and services. These small files are stored on your device and contain information about your preferences and usage habits.
Product Usage Data: When you use one of Microsoft’s products or services, it will collect technical and usage data automatically. This data can include information about your device, location, and how you use the product.
Cortana: If you use Microsoft’s virtual assistant, Cortana, it will learn about your preferences and usage habits in order to provide a more personalized experience. This means it will be collecting data on your search history, contacts, calendar events, and more.
How to Take Control and Stop Tracking
If you’re concerned about the amount of data Microsoft is collecting on you, there are some steps you can take to regain control:
Review Your Privacy Settings: Go to the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard to review and edit your privacy settings. Here you can choose what data Microsoft collects and how it’s used.
Use a VPN: A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you mask your online activity and prevent Microsoft from tracking you. This is especially useful if you’re using a public Wi-Fi network.
Disable Cortana: If you don’t want Microsoft to collect data through Cortana, you can turn it off in your device settings.
Use Privacy-Focused Browsers: Consider switching to a privacy-focused browser like Firefox or Brave. These browsers offer features like ad-blocking and anti-tracking to help protect your online privacy.
Delete Your Data: If you want to delete your data from Microsoft’s servers, you can use the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard to make a request. However, keep in mind that this may affect the functionality of some of Microsoft’s products and services.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s data collection practices might seem invasive, but it’s important to remember that companies collect data for a reason. By analyzing this data, Microsoft can improve its products and services and provide a better user experience. However, it’s also important to take control of your online privacy and make sure that you’re comfortable with the amount of data being collected. By following the steps outlined above, you can take control and prevent Microsoft from tracking your every move.
But the more you use your details on various sites, the more information that company gathers on you. Eventually, Facebook or Microsoft compiles the data into a neat bundle unique to you and uses it to serve you personalized advertising. There is more than enough reason to ditch Facebook. Tap or click here to do it the right way. Don’t stop with Facebook. Read on for steps to tighten up the security of your Microsoft account.
What is a Microsoft account?
Like Facebook or Twitter, an account with Microsoft lets you access online products like Office 365, Microsoft Teams and Xbox gaming services. It is also the core component for access to features and functions in the Windows operating system. For example, without a Microsoft account, you can’t register a license key or, in some cases, prevents you from updating your computer. Integration with other websites lets you use your Microsoft credentials to create an account or log in to services easily.
View your data
If you have been using a Microsoft account for a while, it probably knows a considerable amount of your data. This can include anything from Bing and Cortana searches to Microsoft Edge browsing and services activity. You can take a look at your data through the Privacy Dashboard and control how Microsoft handles it in the future. For example, the dashboard lets you clear your search history, review your location data, change your advertising settings and edit your marketing preferences.
Turning off data collection
The best way to limit the data a company can gather on you is to use privacy settings to limit their reach.
Personalized advertising
Microsoft uses your searches and purchase history to serve you with personalized advertising. You can turn this off in the privacy dashboard by scrolling to the bottom and clicking on Review ad settings. Then, toggle the slider next to See ads that interest you to the left to disable it.
Accessing diagnostics from other apps
Unless you turn it off, Microsoft collects diagnostic data from apps you use “to help improve our products and make them work better.” To delete the data, scroll down to the App and services tab in the dashboard. Click View app access details and it will show you recent app activity. Next, click on Clear all app and service history to delete it.
Access to your location
There might be instances where your location is important for apps and services to work correctly. But you don’t want Microsoft to know where you are all the time. On the dashboard scroll, to Location activity. When you click on it, it displays all the places where Microsoft tracked you. Click Clear location history, then Clear to remove the data.
Browsing history
If Microsoft’s Bing is your preferred search engine, you can delete your data through the privacy dashboard. Microsoft explains that it collects information on the sites you visit to personalize your experience. To stop it from tracking your activity, click on Browsing history and delete the data. You can also manage the data that Microsoft collects through the Windows operating system. To do this, right-click on the Start button, click on Settings, and click on Privacy. Select General from the left panel. Under Change privacy options, toggle the switch to the left under Let apps use advertising ID to make ads more interesting to you based on your app activity. This prevents apps from using your ID to offer targeted ads. Review the other options and make the desired changes.
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