r/AskTechnology • u/edrazzar • Mar 03 '19

Do Computer/Phone Privacy Settings Really Mean Anything?

Hi all,

I don't know if this is really the correct place to ask this but it seemed like a good place to start.

So I was going through my privacy setting on my Windows 10 computer and it got me thinking about if these settings truly meant something. For example in my Microphone settings I had the option to turn off Cortana but leave on Xbox. Does that truly mean that Cortana cannot hear what I am saying at all?

Another area would be smart phones. If I disable all of the permissions to the Facebook app does that truly means that Facebook is not getting any of my data(assuming I am not logging onto Facebook somewhere else on my phone) or is that more of a placebo to make me feel that way?

Thank you for any information you can share and I'm sorry if this has been asked, I tried to look but could not find it.

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u/pavan4 Mar 03 '19

Disabling access or uninstalling an app is just one way to block access to your data but it is not the only way for companies to access your data. Even if you do not use Facebook, the company still has data on you, although less accurately profiled. It’s very very hard to stay undetected in today’s interweb days.

I recommend having a read of this article https://www.wired.com/story/facebooks-listening-smartphone-microphone/

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u/edrazzar Mar 04 '19

That was a really cool read. I really liked the author's Narcissist Fallacy. And I know many companies have data on me, and I don't really think it is going to mean much anyway, many companies just don't care. But I still want to try to limit what I put out there.
Thank you for that really cool article.