Every major platform buries important privacy controls in menus you never see. Most people never change the defaults, and the defaults almost always favor the company collecting data over the person generating it. Here is a platform-by-platform guide to the settings that actually make a difference.

Google Account

Google knows more about most people than any other company. Head to myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy and work through these settings:

  • Ad personalization. Turn this off to stop Google from building an advertising profile based on your activity across its services. Go to Ad Settings and toggle off ad personalization entirely.
  • Location History. Google tracks everywhere you go with your phone. Pause Location History to stop this, then delete any existing location data.
  • Web & App Activity. This records everything you search for, every website you visit through Google, and every app you use. Pause it and delete existing data. Be aware that pausing this degrades some Google features like personalized search results.
  • YouTube History. Your watch and search history on YouTube builds a detailed profile of your interests. Pause both watch and search history.
  • Data download and deletion. Use Google Takeout to download a copy of all data Google has on you. Review it, then use the deletion tools to remove what you do not want stored.

Apple

Apple markets itself on privacy, and its defaults are generally better than competitors, but there are still important settings to check:

  • App Tracking Transparency. Under Settings > Privacy > Tracking, ensure "Allow Apps to Request to Track" is set to your preference. When apps ask to track, deny them unless you have a specific reason to allow it.
  • Location Services. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and review each app. Set most apps to "While Using" rather than "Always." Many apps that request location have no legitimate need for it.
  • Analytics sharing. Under Settings > Privacy > Analytics & Improvements, turn off all sharing options including Share iPhone Analytics, Share iCloud Analytics, and Improve Siri & Dictation.
  • Siri and Dictation. Review Siri & Search settings and disable "Listen for" trigger phrases if you prefer Siri not to be passively listening. Disable Siri Suggestions for apps where you want less data processing.

Facebook and Meta

Facebook's business model depends on collecting data, so its privacy settings require the most aggressive configuration:

  • Off-Facebook Activity. This is perhaps the most important setting. Facebook tracks your activity on other websites and apps through embedded pixels and SDKs. Go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Off-Facebook Activity and clear your history, then disconnect future activity.
  • Ad preferences. Under Settings > Ads, turn off ads based on data from partners, ads based on your activity on Facebook Company Products, and social interactions in ads.
  • Face recognition. Ensure face recognition is turned off unless you specifically want Facebook identifying you in photos.
  • Profile visibility. Review who can see your posts, friends list, email, and phone number. Set these to "Friends" or "Only Me" rather than "Public."

Windows

Windows collects significant telemetry data by default. Navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security:

  • Diagnostic data. Set this to "Required" rather than "Optional" to minimize the telemetry Windows sends to Microsoft about your usage.
  • Activity history. Turn off "Store my activity history on this device" and clear any existing history. This prevents Windows from tracking which applications you use and when.
  • Advertising ID. Under General privacy settings, turn off "Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID."
  • App permissions. Review each permission category (camera, microphone, location, contacts) and disable access for apps that do not need it.
  • Cortana. If you do not use Cortana, disable it entirely to prevent voice data collection.

Android

Android devices share data with Google by default. Go to Settings > Privacy:

  • Google Play Protect. Keep this enabled as it scans for malicious apps, but review what data it sends to Google.
  • App permissions. Review permissions for each app under Permission Manager. Revoke permissions that apps do not need. Pay special attention to location, camera, microphone, and contacts.
  • Location mode. Use "Device only" GPS mode when possible instead of "High accuracy," which sends Wi-Fi and cell data to Google for location improvement.
  • Ad ID reset. Under Settings > Privacy > Ads, reset your advertising ID regularly and opt out of ad personalization. On newer Android versions, you can delete the advertising ID entirely.

General Principles

Across all platforms, apply these principles consistently:

  • Apply the principle of least privilege. Every app should have only the permissions it genuinely needs to function. A calculator does not need access to your contacts or location.
  • Conduct regular privacy audits. Set a quarterly reminder to review your privacy settings. Platforms frequently add new data collection features that default to enabled.
  • Audit connected apps and services. Review which third-party apps have access to your Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft accounts. Revoke access for anything you no longer use.

None of these settings will make you invisible, but together they significantly reduce the amount of data platforms collect about you. The goal is not perfection but meaningful reduction in unnecessary data collection.

Share this article