It is no secret that some applications are a little too interested in us and what we are doing.
We have all experienced it. You have been talking to a friend about a new product that you would like to try or maybe a destination you would like to visit.
Then the next time you go online, out of what appears to be nowhere, you are presented with adverts for the exact things you were talking about.
It is more than a coincidence, surely?
Until recently, we haven’t had a lot of control over what information applications are gathering about us.
Android and iOS first stepped up to give us, the user, more power over our online privacy. We were given the ability to control which applications could access our data, along with sensitive things like our camera and microphone.
While it is often thought that this is an issue with just our phones, laptops have the same problems.
Here is the GREAT news. Microsoft is testing a new feature in Windows 11 to put the power back in our hands.
It is currently testing a new feature – called ‘Privacy Auditing’ – this allows you to see which applications have been accessing sensitive hardware, such as your webcam and microphone.
You will be able to see which of your data has been accessed whether that be screenshots, messages, your contacts and even your location data. There is also a log of which applications accessed this information, and when.
When launched, this feature will be available in your Privacy & Security menu, under App Permissions.
There you will be able to see a full list of what’s been accessed, by which app, and when. It should become your first port of call if you suspect any suspicious activity is taking place on your device.
When released, this feature will be a great tool to check periodically to help you avoid malicious activity and to make sure your sensitive data remains in the right hands.
In the meantime, if you would like someone to look over the data permissions on your business’s devices, get in touch.
