Microsoft unveils new Windows 10 privacy menu

Microsoft is making an update available to Insider test users of Windows 10 that expands the privacy menu with a Find my device and an Inking & typing option. The updated menu will be part of the upcoming Redstone 4 update.

The new privacy menu that appears with the setup is in the new Windows 10 build that Microsoft makes available to Windows Insiders on Tuesday. The company is testing two views for the privacy settings that users should see when installing the update.

With one version, a privacy screen shows all the options that the user can set, just like the current Windows 10 version. However, some of the users will see seven different screens, each with a new setting. Microsoft marks the recommended setting; in practice the consent to share data.

New to the settings is the one for Find my device. This option enables location data to be enabled so that a user with a Microsoft account can find their device in the event of theft or loss. The other new option is the one for Inking & typing. If the user accepts, Microsoft may use data about stylus usage and typing to improve language recognition and to present features of apps and services to the user.

Microsoft is releasing the privacy settings as part of the upcoming Windows feature update, codenamed Redstone 4. According to Microsoft, it will be released in the spring. The current privacy screen was introduced by the company with the arrival of the Creators Update, last year.