hey gang, your computer is probably tracking you.

I know this isn't super major to most because I figure if you're here, you have a bit of know-how about computer shit, but like, big recommend from me if you're using Windows 11 to do the following.

the reason why I checked on this recently is because Windows has recently changed its policy on tracking content within your Word files. they're using AI to train off of your content in your Word docs. though you can go into the settings for Word itself, that doesn't address the larger issue of how much they're collecting data off of all products with Windows OS on it. 

as a result, I went into my privacy settings for my account which you can find here and realized that my computer, despite turning it off, was still monitoring what apps I was using on my computer.

needless to say, I was not happy. so, let me show you how to get in here and roll back as much as you can on your PC if you've got Windows 11 like I do. note that navigation to these is still about the same on older versions of Windows as well. 

disclaimer before I begin

though I've done IT and worked at Geek Squad, I do not have a CS degree, nor am I a networking expert. there are probably on here who know more than I do (and I encourage them to comment below to help everyone)! I'm just providing the info that I have so we can all retain our data. 

I'll also note that doing this on your computer doesn't mean that Microsoft doesn't have an image of your advertising ID or have some kind of makeup of what you're all about based on the data they've already collected, even if you have them remove it. this is more of a preventive measure to avoid your content being taken and used without consent for AI, along with folks who can exploit wherever Microsoft is hosting your data for their own means.

of course, once again, not a CS person, so don't quote me on the larger consequences on this - just got a special interest! 

privacy settings

a pit stop before we really get things going, if you type "settings" into the search bar and go down to "privacy and security," you'll get the surface options of all the ways your computer is collecting data and how you allow other apps to use it. to me, the biggest categories here are "windows permissions," which includes things like them using your data to create a personalized advertising ID, along with inking and typing, which just tracks your keystrokes, and more! the general suggestion here is turn all of this off, especially personalized ads. 

"app permissions" is what you allow other apps to use. this one requires a bit more nuance because some apps like Discord or whatever need to use your camera to do video calls, etc. use your discretion, but for me, I've only left on what's necessary, which is barely anything. in each setting, you basically have the option to allow the service to be on and then if apps can use it. each setting will show you what apps currently have access to the thing and you can turn these off individually if you want to keep some things on like microphone or something. 

microsoft account privacy settings

you can use the link above to go through and turn things off about how they're using your data and interactions in the cloud as well here. again, the app and service activity data is what really spooked me since I've honestly been pretty good about this stuff. turn all this off and delete what you can. 

group policy editor

so doing the above two are good, but if you want to get into deeper-level data collection prevention, we gotta go deeper!

literally just type "group policy" in the search bar yo. you're looking for the entry that says "Edit Group Policy." for folks who have never used this before, this impacts how your computer handles a lot of different settings. what is important to note is to read through what it says will happen if you enable to disable something. this is what the IT folks use to setup things like school computers so the only way you can change that is going back in here and fixing it. just be mindful. 

you're going to get a big list of a bunch of stuff. here's where the good things are, though if you're a little detail-oriented like me, you should scroll through a couple of these folders just in case. 

here are some suggestions on where to start, from me:

local computer policy > computer configuration > administrative templates > windows components

okay, important to note that if you're doing this for the local computer, this affects all users on the computer. if you want to do something just for your account, go down to user configuration.

app privacy

woof, this one is upsetting to look at, but important. 

you know how we just went through and turned off a lot of permissions in the settings itself? this is us doing that for things listed and not listed there. the challenge here is that I can't tell if Windows apps are described here as just apps made by Windows or all apps on a Windows device (i.e. all the apps). since it's not clear, it makes sense to operate as the latter until proven different.

now, what's important to note is that the nuance we saw in the app permissions earlier is not there. so, if you say, "turn off camera for all windows apps," it's not going to give you a prompt to turn on that camera for Zoom. does that make sense? 

some highlights in this section: let windows apps activate with voice while the system is locked, let windows apps access presence sensing (whatever the fuck that is).

data collection and preview builds

what it says on the tin! 

key part about these is that for many of them, you'd probably want to enable them because they're saying "hey don't allow collection of my data." so, for many of them, you click enable and then there's a drop-down for options on how you want to manage the different policies.

some of these settings aren't applicable to windows 11, but I turned them off just in case.

highlights: configure diagnostic data opt-in change notifications (means that you'll be notified if there is a change on if you're opting in to data being sent), configure diagnostic data opt-in settings user interface, limit optional diagnostic data for desktop analytics.

location and sensors

once again what it says on the tin. 

for this one, you want to enable these features to have them be off. I know, counter-intuitive. no highlights for this one: they're not that many settings. 

windows error reporting

this one is nice for the purposes of determining how much data you want your computer to send when something goes wrong. you also can make sure that you're notified and asked consent before sending your data for this. 

highlights: configure error reporting, do not send additional data, consent > configure default consent

other tips and tricks for nav in group policy

if you're trying to find something specific and you don't know where to look, you can use the filter function by going to action > filter options, which will edit the filter that's on by default. 

from there, type in the keyword you would use, like "search" if you're trying to adjust settings for the search bar, etc. from there, I usually click "All Settings" so I can sift through what I'm looking for. 

does this seem like a lot of work to you? that's because it is!

it's honestly insane that there's this much bullshit that you have to do just to prevent yourself from being tracked, but if you want the latest and greatest, this is how you can leverage the new tech and prevent that tech from eating your data. if we can do a little creative soft hacking of our stuff, we can continue to find ways to get around big tech's data wars. 

however, if you're on this site, maybe this is the last straw with dealing with this, and that's okay!

alternative options

linux

dude, I've been on ubuntu and hated it. however, there are other options nowadays with more user-friendly builds for people who like the usability and aren't super down for the heavy code. 

some recommended distros:

• zorin is a gorgeous build that is tailored for folks trying to get out of the windows umbrella while respecting your privacy. it is really designed to avoid you having to do anything in the terminal, something pretty common for folks who use linux.
• linux mint honestly looks like old-school windows, though a bit cleaner. have heard a lot of good things about this dude. people usually recommend adding the cinnamon interface on this one.

there, of course, are more, but in thinking about the person who wants to switch, these two are the best options without overwhelming you with all the linux os stuff.

what's cool about this is that you can run the os on the same computer as a Windows one if you're nervous about switching. you can also simultaneously run them on the same hard drive too! 

downgrading

you can always roll your system back to a windows 7 interface. there are downloads available of the older system that for sure will run on your more modern computer. the only challenge is compatibility for software. depending upon what you're doing with your computer, this might not be an issue. it's case-by-case for folks. 

learn more about privacy, both online and offline

there are a lot of ways to both maintain both modernity in your tech while also keeping yourself safe. the biggest things that come to mind are moving off of browsers that harvest your data, so something like brave or my favorite, vivaldi, along with getting browser extensions that can block and deal with many of the attacks you're dealing with. 

recommended extensions:

• okay, one that I don't often see mentioned (mainly because it was taken off of the Chrome store) is AdNauseum, one of my all-time favorite extensions. what's great about this guy is that it not only blocks ads, but it renders ad dollars useless by clicking on all of them and putting them in an ad wall so you can see what they're trying to sell you. this guy has uBlock Origin built-in, which is next on my list, so you only have to download this one. there is nothing like looking at thousands of dollars people have wasted trying to sell me cat supplies.
• alright, then we've got uBlock Origin, which is mainly a champ because of its ability to select elements and block them. people are pretty used to just having it do it by itself, but if you click the actual extension, you can click the eyedropper icon and select all kinds of elements you don't want, including pop-ups, paywalls, etc.
• speaking of paywalls, one of my favorites is Unpaywall, which will redirect you to a free option for an article if it's available. in a time when we're struggling with disinformation, it's awesome to be able to gain the info you need while not being taken advantage of through signing up for a website just to look at an article, etc.

I hope this provided at least some info on protecting your data to the extent that you can, as well as how much is just baked into the system as a default.

it's really important that we have a critical eye on stuff like this because they're expecting you to miss it. that's why it's so hard to do all of this. that's why there are settings both online and offline, in multiple places on your computer, and they don't directly tell you about any of it. 

for the tech-minded out there who know more about this than me, would love to know if there are more ways we can prevent data collection beyond just opting out. I feel like opting out altogether of systems is a double-edged sword, and in a tech-focused world, we put ourselves at a disadvantage when we could be weaponizing this towards companies that would use our privacy for money. lots to think about for sure. 

anyway, hope this was helpful! may do some more posts on this platform about small web and other stuff. if you'd be into that, let me know. also, if you have questions about navigating or something, I can try to help as well.

talk soon,

-sisi