Protect your privacy by shutting down these Windows 10 features

Is Windows 10 spying on you? The poor privacy that this new operating system offers seems to be reinforcing that notion.

Merely three weeks after Window 10's release, reports have been spreading all over the internet that this new OS is collecting too much personal information, and there seems to be no stopping it.

Windows 10 may be "phoning home" more than the operating systems before it, but this has been true among other products, including the Google Chrome, Android, iOS, and more. This does not mean the rest of those operating systems are good; it's just that privacy issues are not really a new thing.

If you read the privacy statement for Windows 10, you will find out that it is not as sweeping as most reviews claim, but it is quite broad, which is very common among privacy policies.

The major problems concerning the privacy setting of Windows 10 include giving your personal information to Microsoft through Cortana by default. But you can disable it if you want to.

However, disabling it may be a daunting task. Other than that, its Windows Update Delivery Optimization lets other people download Microsoft apps by using your internet connection.

It also lets you share your internet connection to your friends without giving them your password, which means Microsoft will be the one to give you the password.

Moreover, even if you disable data-sharing, it will continue to send personal information to Microsoft. Finally, it can scan your computer for pirated games and disable them.

Some of the steps you can do to somehow restrict Windows to collect pieces of your personal data include avoiding the use of express setting during setup. Turn off all the items in the Customize Settings window. You can also turn off the secret settings. Go to the Start menu, select Settings, choose Privacy, and then go to the Feedback and Diagnostics. Choose "Basic" for this option.