How to stop Windows 10 sharing your data

Earlier this week we reported on how Windows 10 could be sharing your activity data even if you had told it not to.

In response Microsoft has released a statement from Marisa Rogers, privacy officer at its Windows and Devices Group.

Microsoft is committed to customer privacy, being transparent about the data we collect and use for your benefit, and we give you controls to manage your data. In this case, the same term 'Activity History' is used in both Windows 10 and the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard. Windows 10 Activity History data is only a subset of the data displayed in the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard. We are working to address this naming issue in a future update.

This confirms How-To Geek's suspicion that the settings are in fact misleadingly labelled.

Microsoft has also issued instructions for users who want to prevent Windows 10 from sharing activity data.

If a customer wants to prevent their Windows 10 device from sending apps and service Activity History to Microsoft they need to use the following two Windows Settings configurations:

1. Under Settings >Privacy >Activity history: ensure the setting 'Let Windows sync my activities from this PC to the cloud' is not checked.

2. Under Settings >Privacy >Diagnostics & feedback: ensure Diagnostic data is set to Basic

More information on Microsoft's feedback and data collection policy can be found here.

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