Windows 11 gets privacy tool: which apps are watching?

Microsoft is testing options for Windows 11 more often within the company’s preview rings. But sometimes a feature stands out that deserves extra attention. In this case, it is a handy tool that offers more transparency in the field of privacy.

Microsoft calls the brand new tool Privacy Auditing. David Weston, who is responsible for enterprise and OS security at Microsoft, is showing the component via his own Twitter profile. Weston says that Microsoft is now testing the option within the Dev channel of Windows 11, where functions sometimes drop or are heavily modified after the initial introduction. The Dev Channel is where the company tests experimental parts with testers outside the software maker.

Privacy Tool for Windows 11

Testers will find the new feature within Windows 11’s privacy options. There you’ll find a list of recent activity on your system. That list shows when certain apps have consulted your microphone or webcam, for example.

You will probably usually find apps here that do that with the correct permissions, such as Microsoft Teams, but you may discover apps here that you are not sure whether you have given permission. With the new privacy tool you should therefore be able to quickly identify and resolve suspicious behavior.

Within that environment, you’ll also see when apps can access things like your contact list, location data, phone calls, and more. You can see exactly what time and on which day apps have used the components and data. So that is very transparent.

We now have to wait and see when Microsoft rolls out the tool to every Windows 11 user. Since the feature is still in the Dev channel, it could take months to get there.

Nevertheless, it is good to see that Microsoft is working on these kinds of features, because as a user of a digital system it is always good to see when apps or systems have access to sensitive parts or data.

Microsoft has had quite a few problems with privacy on Windows 10 in the past. That concluded the Dutch Data Protection Authority in both 2017 and 2019† At the time, Microsoft improved user privacy, but those improvements came with new ways of processing data that had to be re-examined.

In short, the Redmond company had considerable room for improvement in that area, and it seems to be finally making better use of that space.

You can find many more online privacy tips in our Online Course: Security and Privacy†

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