Hello, and welcome…
Rick’s Daily Tech Tips Update for Friday, March 8, 2024
Topics covered in this issue…
• Stop your Windows PC from spying on you
• Scam alert: Beware this dangerous ‘Windows Defender’ scam
• Q&A: Which brand of USB hard drive do you recommend?
• Video: The incredibly massive scale of our solar system
• January’s Tech Tips Giveaway – Win this ViewSonic VX3276-4K-MHD 32 Inch 4K UHD Monitor
Today’s issue is sponsored by…
The Muse – We can help you make a career match where the people, perks and values align with your needs. Find work that’s worth it.
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Monthly Tech Giveaway….
We have a winner for February…
Congratulations to Alan S. from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for winning the Beelink Mini PC in February’s Tech Tips Giveaway.
March’s winner will receive an HP Pavilion 17.3″ HD+ Laptop (click for details).
The prizes featured in my Monthly Tech Giveaways include a combination of the best items I have received for testing and review and brand new items provided directly by partner companies.
All winners are selected at random. All Standard subscribers have an equal chance to win. All Premium subscribers have double the chance to win (their email addresses are added to the pot twice).
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Today’s featured tech tip….
Stop your Windows PC from spying on you
As you probably know by now, Microsoft designed Windows 10 and Windows 11 to be quite intrusive when it comes to your privacy.
By default, the operating system collects all sorts of sensitive user data and stores it on your PC’s hard drive and/or sends it back to Microsoft via the Internet.
Luckily, most of Windows’ “spying” can be either mitigated somewhat or disabled completely if you know where to look for the various settings.
Unfortunately, finding (and understanding) all of the relevant privacy settings can be a challenge to say the least.
Users have been lodging complaints about Windows 10’s privacy issues since virtually day one of the operating system’s existence, and Windows 11 is no better.
In response to the constant stream of customer complaints, Microsoft now provides an easy-to-use “Privacy Dashboard that makes it a lot easier to understand the various privacy issues that exist with Windows 10/11 and mitigate those issues as much as possible.
In a nutshell, the Privacy Dashboard is simply a web page that contains explanations of each privacy issue along with a drop-down menu of options for mitigating each of the potential issues.
Bottom line: I recommend that you log in to the Privacy Dashboard and take the time to read everything you see there.
Several important privacy issues can be mitigated in the dashboard itself, but you’ll also learn how to locate and change the privacy settings that must be handled locally on your Windows 10/11 PC.
Visit https://account.microsoft.com/account/privacy/ to launch the Privacy Dashboard.
Note: You’ll be prompted to log in to your Microsoft account if you aren’t logged in already.
The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips Tech Blog…
• Scam alert: Beware this dangerous ‘Windows Defender’ scam
This one is very easy to fall for.
• Q&A: Which brand of USB hard drive do you recommend?
This post has my best answer.
• Click here to see today’s ‘Picture of the Day’.
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
Rick’s Daily Pick…
Logitech M510 Wireless Computer Mouse for PC
I’m often asked which mouse I use and recommend, and while my answer has changed a few times as new generations of mice were introduced, one thing has always remained constant: they have all been Logitechs!
I’ve been using this Logitech M510 for quite some time now and I love it.
Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…
Video: The incredibly massive scale of our solar system
Amazing.
Tech news that caught my eye…
• FBI: U.S. lost record $12.5 billion to online crime in 2023
• X to remove Retweet and Like counts from feeds
• TikTok plays hardball: Users bombard Congress with calls opposing China bill
• Microsoft’s sneaky KB5001716 Windows 10 update pushes Windows 11
• Apple raises trade-in value on select products, drops it on others
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
https://www.RicksDailyTips.com