The new Windows 10 Settings menu is a bit of a mash-up between Windows 8's PC settings menu and the traditional Control Panel. The Privacy tab, however, has several privacy settings you won't find in the Control Panel -- because these settings are designed for tablets and phones, and Microsoft is trying to accommodate all devices in its universal operating system.
In Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview Build 10130, Microsoft adds several sections to the Privacy tab for more control over what apps can and cannot access.
The General section is where you'll be able to quickly change basic privacy settings -- for example, you can choose whether to let apps access your name, photo, and other account info; you can let Windows track your typing and give you word suggestions based on what you write; and you can allow websites to access your language list and use that information to give you "locally relevant content." All of these general privacy settings are turned on by default, so you'll want to go in here and turn them off if you're not a fan of, well, hyper-relevant advertising. Some of the settings are useful, however, such as "Turn on SmartScreen Filter to check Web contents (URLs) that Windows Store apps use," especially if you're in the habit of clicking before you think.
At the bottom of the screen, there's a link to Microsoft's personalized ads page, where you can tweak your ad settings and read the Microsoft privacy statement.
Location is more of a concern for laptop and tablet users -- this is where you'll be able to turn your location settings on and off, and choose to let apps access that data. You can also clear your location history (apparently, Windows stores up to 24 hours' worth of location data on your device, which can be accessed by any apps you've given location permissions to). A link at the bottom of this page takes you to Microsoft's Location awareness page for Windows Phone users.
In the Camerasection, you can turn your webcam on and off, and choose which apps have permission to access your webcam. While most apps that want to use your webcam will prompt you for permission, they usually won't discard those permissions once you're done using the app (sort of like when a photo app on your phone asks to access your camera). This is where you can revoke unnecessary Webcam permissions.
Microphone is just like the Webcam section, but for your mic. Here, you can turn your mic on and off, and revoke (or grant) individual app permissions.
Speech, inking, & typing is a completely new section (most of the other sections can be found in the Windows 8 PC settings menu, albeit with a slightly different setup) that relates to Windows' digital assistant Cortana. Here, you can get rid of Cortana by clicking Stop getting to know me. Do this, and Windows will stop collecting "info like contacts, speech and handwriting patterns, and typing history." You'll also turn off Cortana's speech feature, so you'll no longer be able to say "Hey, Cortana" if you want to search for something (though you'll still be able to input search terms by typing or handwriting).
Account info, Contacts, Calendar, Messagingand Radios are all sections similar to the Camera and Microphone sections. In these sections, you can turn permissions to access your account info, contacts, calendar, text messages and radios (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) on and off for all apps or individual apps.
Other devices lets you give apps permission to share and sync info with wireless devices that don't pair with your PC (or tablet, or phone), such as your Xbox One.
In Feedback, you can choose how frequently you want Microsoft to ask for feedback: "Automatically" (default), "Always," "Once a day," "Once a week" and "Never." You can also choose what level of detailed information you want Microsoft to receive about your device.
Editors' note:This How To post was originally published on March 5, 2015, and was updated on June 16, 2015, to reflect new information regarding Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview Build 10130.