To access:
From the Toolbox on the navigation panel, click Protect and then click Privacy Shield.
What it does:
Privacy Shield allows you to turn off Windows features that share your Wi-Fi network connections with your contacts, utilize your internet bandwidth for peer-to-peer updates, and gather information regarding your browsing habits, program usage, and more.
Enable or disable privacy features from the following categories:
In Windows 10, Microsoft integrated a service that automatically collects data on user habits, including memory snapshots and information on program usage, system configuration, network connection, and more. This feature cannot be turned off without modifying the registry if the user did not disable it during install.
Why disable it? Users may not wish to have their usage habits and actions recorded and stored by Microsoft. Additionally, Microsoft has been unclear about the amount and types of data being collected.
Wi-Fi Sense connects users to Wi-Fi hotspots that, according to Microsoft, it "knows about through crowdsourcing" or detects based on user location. It also has a feature that allows you to automatically share your Wi-Fi networks with all Facebook, Outlook.com, and Skype contacts, connecting them to your networks with encrypted password access. Users must allow network sharing, and will be prompted to do so by Windows.
Why disable it? Once a user chooses to share their network, the Wi-Fi access is shared with contacts regardless of whether or not a contact is an actual person the user knows and trusts. Therefore users must be more discerning when adding contacts to their network. Additionally, for the service to function, Microsoft is storing Wi-Fi password information in their database. While Microsoft has stated that this information is encrypted, it is being stored outside of the user's control and has the potential to become compromised.
Microsoft's SmartScreen filter analyzes the websites that you visit and compares these sites to a list of known phishing websites or websites known to carry malware. In addition, it warns you before downloading potentially malicious content from the internet.
Why disable it? This service collects data on your browsing history and sends this information to Microsoft. Additionally, while this function strengthens your internet security, it may also conflict with any of your internet security software and other security features built into your browser.
Microsoft's Windows Update Delivery Optimization includes peer-to-peer technology similar to that used for torrent file sharing. This means that Windows 10 will periodically download updates and then share these updates with other Windows 10 machines on your network and also over the internet with other users. This feature is designed to help speed up the update process, and is “on” by default in Windows 10 Home and Pro editions.
Why disable it? Since this service is “on” by default, users are unaware that their upload bandwidth is being used by Microsoft to share updates with strangers over the internet. This function speeds up the update process, but may also consume massive amounts of bandwidth in order to share updates with other users. This consumption can push some users over their monthly data caps for upload bandwidth without their knowledge. Users may receive cease-and-desist communications from their internet service providers (ISPs) or even bandwidth throttling. This kind of peer-to-peer technology is sometimes mistaken for uploading and downloading copyrighted material without license to perform such actions.