Unfortunately, the first enthusiastic reviews about the new Windows 10 OS on closer acquaintance with it gave way to disappointment in the fact that the system constantly spies on the user, although the developers of Microsoft claim the opposite. Let's try to determine a solution to the problem of how to turn off Windows 10 tracking. This is done quite simply, besides, due to this, you can slightly increase the computing power of the computer.
Disabling User Tracking in Windows 10: Key Aspects
To begin, we define a list of issues that will have to be addressed. Without a complete understanding of all aspects of the problem, disabling surveillance in Windows 10 will be either impossible or incomplete.
So, first of all, the system monitors the user from the perspective of his location (when creating the "account" of Microsoft and registering on sites and social networks). Windows 10 monitors requests and requests on the Internet or in the "Store" and can request user data locally by referring to a list of installed languages. The system also keeps a strict record of actions on the local computer and provides permissions to access user data to other applications. The same assistant Cortana, although not officially launched in the post-Soviet space, is also a means of monitoring the actions of a person working in the system.
But the saddest thing is that in Windows 10, paradoxically as it sounds, an institutionalized keylogger has appeared - a means of tracking everything that is typed on the keyboard. The same applies to the camera and microphone, that is, everything that can be said or transmitted in the form of visual information, in fact, is recorded on the servers of the corporation.
Naturally, this can and should be fought, despite all the statements by Microsoft employees that confidential data will not be transmitted to third parties. How to disable the spying function in Windows 10, now it will be discussed. Along the way, it is worth noting that some viruses, malicious codes or spyware can intercept the data recorded by the system modules, well, and the consequences can be most catastrophic (probably this need not be explained).
Disabling Services Preliminarily
So, we need to disable tracking in Windows 10. Where to start? Before proceeding with the sequential shutdown of all system modules related to espionage activities, some background processes must be forcibly terminated.
To do this, you must use the standard "Task Manager", called up by the three-finger combination Ctrl + Alt + Del or the taskmgr command in the Run menu (Win + R). You can turn to administration, but in this case there is no difference. Deactivation can also be done. Here we need to find the following processes:
- push message routing service (dmwappushservice);
- geolocation service;
- diagnostic tracking.
A description of the processes is presented on the right side of the "Dispatcher" window.
Disabling some system services
Now you can begin the basic actions. Initially, disabling snooping in Windows 10 should be done at the level of self-starting system components and services. This includes the “Task Scheduler”, the collection of telemetry information at various levels, proposals for participating in the modernization of Microsoft software products, the general assembly of information, etc.
Go to the administration via the computer icon, then in the scheduler section go to its libraries, and then use the Windows menu. Here we turn off all the elements that are in the sections Application Experience, Autochk, Customer Experience Improvement Program and NetTrace.
Configure general privacy settings
To disable snooping in Windows 10, you can now use the basic settings. You can change them in the settings called up from the main Start menu.
In the general settings menu, move the sliders to the “Off” position. for permissions to use Smart Screen and for sending information for upgrading handwriting and typing functions.
Disabling user location verification
Now go to the user location section. This tab has several basic options.
First, turn off the function itself, and then press the clear log button (it is advisable to do this without fail, since data can still be used when reconnecting to the Internet).
After that, the system, even with an active Internet connection, will no longer follow the user from this angle.
Disabling input options
Further is better. We turn to the settings of the camera and microphone, because (as mentioned above) this information can be used without the knowledge of the user.
As already clear, you need to set the sliders for the camera and microphone to the off position, however, this should be done provided that these devices will not be used by any programs (for example, the same Skype). If in the future it is planned to use such devices, their operation can be left unchanged.
The following is a tab with options for using speech and handwriting. Use the stop learning button here.
Disabling scientific recording and diagnostics
In the next menu "accounting" appears no less interesting line, which indicates the permission given to programs, and the application to use this registration.
Naturally, turn it off. In some cases, an “account” may be needed to log into the system, say, with administrator rights, so you should be very careful with this parameter, because then you will not only not be logged into the system, you will also have to reinstall Windows (this often applies situations when the username and password are lost). Restoring the "account" can be quite difficult.
Now, in the diagnostics and reviews menu, you need to look at the amount of information sent to Microsoft. For minimal risk, only the baseline is set.
As for the other tabs, their parameters are fundamentally not important, although to increase system performance some of them can be safely turned off - this is up to the user.
Firewall and ad ban
Another important point. If the user does not install specialized protection tools, but uses only the Windows firewall (firewall), you will have to go to his settings through the "Control Panel" to set the necessary parameters.
Here at the top left there is a permission line for the interaction of applications with the firewall. When going to this menu, it is mandatory to remove the “birds” from the points of using the wireless display and remote access.
In principle, you can also turn off Microsoft personalized advertising, which works on the basis of the user's preferences, but this does not play a special role. If you want, you can turn it off, if you want, leave it (there’s nothing wrong with that).
Utilities for disabling snooping in Windows 10
Now consider some useful utilities. They allow you not to deal with settings manually, but to disable tracking in Windows 10 in automatic or semi-automatic mode. Immediately, we note that today you can find quite a lot of such utilities, so we will restrict ourselves to the most popular and common ones.
To get started, you can use an automated patch to disable snooping on Windows 10 called Destroy Windows 10 Spying. The program has a size of just under 10 MB and does not require installation. In the settings window, you can use your preferred settings, and in the main tab, the spy prohibition button is simply clicked. After that, the process will begin, and then a message will be displayed indicating its successful completion.
The DoNotSpy 10 utility is no less easy to use. It is a bit similar to the previous one, only here in the settings you will have to mark all the ban parameters manually.
O&O ShutUP 10 is interesting in that it already has presets recommended for most users. Using them, you can optimize in just a couple of clicks.
The German development W10 Privacy is more focused on disabling information that is submitted to Microsoft for cases when Edge is used as the default browser in the system.
By the way, in order to disable tracking in Windows 10, Habrahabr (a well-known Internet resource) recommends using the above utilities. True, it is argued that this will have to be done at your own peril and risk, especially if the HOSTS file is forbidden to connect to some servers (then nothing may work at all).
Conclusion
As can be seen from the foregoing, it is possible to combat the spy tendencies of the “tens”, and with rather simple methods. Which option the user himself prefers (manual configuration or the use of special utilities) is his own business. But judging by the recommendations of specialists, it’s better not to tempt fate, but spend a little more time and configure the necessary parameters manually. As they say, it’s more reliable. But if the user has decided to use third-party applications, before starting work, you need to at least create a system restore point , otherwise, as they say, it’s not an hour ...