Windows 10 spying: How to opt out of Microsoft's intrusive terms of use

Turn off Cortana

Again, this could be a problem, as the Cortana search function, which is similar to Apple's Siri, has been highly praised as one of the best functions of Windows 10.

However, one of the reasons it works so well is because it logs your past searches and can provide suggestions and more personalised search results.

Users will have to decide whether they're willing to disable Cortana in exchange for increasing privacy.

Turn off personalised ads
Obviously, ads that are tailored to what you want depend on storing some of your data, otherwise you'd be bombarded with adverts for things you have no intention of buying.

Windows 10 ads work by delivering you targeted adverts wherever you're logged in to your Microsoft account, whether you're on desktop, mobile or tablet.

It's clear that Microsoft doesn't want users to do this, because it's not as easy to disable as the other privacy features.

However, it's still pretty straightforward. You need to go to an external website, and simply turn both personalised ad options to 'off'.

Use a local Windows account
This is a fairly drastic option, because it would severely cut back on the synchronisation of features between your devices.

Instead of using an existing Windows account, you could use a newly made local account instead - this prevents Microsoft from getting your data, and using it to make sure your machine is updated when you log on with a Windows account.

This is a useful feature, but if you're concerned about the data harvesting that it involves, it just takes a simple step to avoid it.

Some people may prefer the convenience of synced features and targeted ads, and that's fine - but the privacy policy can be quite intrusive, and you're opted in automatically. Fortunately, it's fairly straight forward to opt out of.

From: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...trusive-terms-of-use-10432300.html?icn=puff-1

Since this is a British newspaper, they spell like Brits. Blimey!