Microsoft to make more privacy tweaks to Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

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Microsoft is continuing to try to fine-tune the privacy settings with Windows 10 with a few new additional options that will be part of the Fall Creators Update.

The additional tweaks, which Microsoft announced on Sept.13, are follow-ons to the substantial number of new privacy settings that Microsoft made part of the Windows 10 Creators Update that began rolling out this past spring. The company has been trying to stem the stream of complaints by various protection watchdogs and some customers about its privacy settings and the amount of telemetry data it collects since Windows 10 first launched.

Read also: Microsoft races to fix a ton of bugs for October's Fall Creators Update

With the Fall Update, Microsoft will be making two new privacy-related changes to the setup process. Users will get direct access to the company's Windows 10 privacy statement during the setup process. In addition, users setting up a new device will be able to jump directly to relevant settings for location, speech recognition, diagnostics, tailored experiences, and ads via the Learn More page.

With the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft also is adding the ability to set application controls beyond just location. Apps installed through the Microsoft Store will prompt users for permission for use of their cameras, microphones, contracts, calendar, etc. These new application permission prompts will only apply to apps installed after installing the Fall Creators Update; users can adjust app permissions on other already-installed apps by going to Settings and then Privacy.

Enterprise users also will get a new setting that limits the diagnostic data "to the minimum required" for Windows Analytics. Windows Analytics is a service aimed at IT pros to give them more information on deploying, servicing and supporting Windows 10.

Microsoft is continuing to roll out test builds of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to its Insider testers. Just last night, Microsoft rolled out another Windows 10 Fall Creators Update PC test build, No. 16288, with a number of fixes, but no brand new features. Microsoft also delivered another test build of Windows 10 Mobile Feature Release 2, No. 15250, which adds support for two-factor authentication, alongside providing a number of fixes and updates.

Microsoft is set to begin rolling out Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to mainstream users as of Oct. 17.

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• How to recover data from an old laptop if you've forgotten the password
• How to recover deleted files in Windows 10 or 11
• The top Windows laptops compared
• Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade