Windows and Mac security step: Stop your apps from snooping

It’s so annoying. You download an app, and the first thing it wants is permission to access your camera, microphone, location, contacts and blood type. (OK, just kidding on that last one.)

You can restrict those settings on your phone, but did you know you can — and should — do the same on your PC or Mac? Here’s how.

If you have a Windows PC

Head to your security and privacy settings to fiddle with your app permissions. It only takes a few clicks!

On Windows 11: 

• Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security.
• Scroll to App permissions and select an option (e.g., Location). From here, you can choose which apps can access this option.
• Alternatively, you can use the Recent activity dropdown menu for each permission to show which apps are accessing them.

On Windows 10:

• Go to Start > Settings > Privacy.
• Under App permissions, select an option, then choose which apps can access it.

You’ll see the whole gamut of permissions: Access to your calendar, files and folders, email, music library, notifications and webcam. Does photo-editing software really need to see your calendar? Nope.

If you use a Mac (like me!)

You’ll receive an alert when a third-party app tries to access and control your Mac through accessibility features. (Love this!) Of course, you can pop in to adjust your settings at any time. 

• Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings > Privacy & Security.
• A list of program permissions will appear, along with which applications have access to which permissions. Click on any permission to see the apps with access to it.
• Use the toggle switch to turn Off permissions for each app.

Don’t be shy about switching off permissions. If an app truly needs access to something you’ve restricted it from, you’ll get a pop-up. My default is to say, “No, thanks” to most permissions, then wait and see. 

It’s kinda like the advice I gave my friend, Julie. I told her to be on multiple dating apps to find a partner because she doesn’t believe in love at first site.

OK, you have some control over app permissions now. But don’t stop there. Now it’s time to take back some privacy from one of the biggest tech companies around: Google.

Take control of your Google account

Google lets you give third-party apps and services access to different parts of your Google account. For example, reserving a table through a dining app can add the date to your Google Calendar.

This is a nice feature, but you should keep track of which apps can access your account and what information they’re privy to.

Just because you stopped using an app doesn’t mean it isn’t active. For example, if an app has access to your contacts, it can use that information even if you haven’t logged on in years.

Here’s the thing: The more apps that have access to your device, the more exposed you are. If an app suffers a data breach, it puts you at risk.

Luckily, it’s easy to manage your third-party app permissions and revoke them as needed. Here’s how:

• Log in to your Google account at myaccount.google.com and open the Security section.
• Scroll down to Third-party apps with account access and select Manage third-party access.
• Select the app or service you want to review. You’ll see information such as the date you installed that app and what information it has access to.
• Select Remove Access and confirm your selection.

NOTE: This does not delete your account with that app, and the app may ask for access to your Google resources again the next time you open it.

There’s no right or wrong answer for what to remove, but if an app looks unfamiliar to you, you’ll probably want to get rid of it.