The Privacy Guardian Tutorial walks you through the many ways Privacy Guardian can optimize your internet privacy.
You can disable tutorial visibility by clicking Hide this tutorial in settings, and then checking Hide Privacy Guardian tutorial dialogs in the Privacy Guardian section of the System Mechanic Settings menu.
To begin the tutorial, click Start tutorial. The in-product messages explain how to:
Navigate the Privacy Guardian menus to find the specific privacy controls you need
Disable Windows® data-sharing features, including:
Personal data collection
Windows Feedback services
Browser history tracking
Location tracking
Clear browsing data for each browser you have installed
Enable digital fingerprint masking
Enable automatic browsing data clearance
Set how frequently your browsing data is automatically cleared
Choose whether the Windows Notification Center informs you of Privacy Guardian activity
Customize which cookies and browsing data you want Privacy Guardian to clear whenever it cleans, including:
Address bar history
Autocomplete
Download history
HTTP cookies
Saved passwords
Website history
Use the Private Search bar to browse without your search engine storing, sharing or selling information on what you search for
View a History of all the website privacy items that Privacy Guardian has removed from your computer
System Mechanic Ultimate Defense users can access the full version of the online privacy feature Privacy Guardian by clicking the Privacy Guardian eyeball icon at the top of the homescreen.
Privacy Guardian is an online privacy protection feature in System Mechanic Ultimate Defense that you can also purchase as a standalone product.
Privacy Guardian helps block access to your sensitive online data, device info and habits whenever you use the internet.
Privacy Guardian helps protect your private digital life with automated cookie clearance, Windows® data-collection disabling, and private search.
Much of what you do on your computer isn’t private.
Congress has overturned F.C.C. rules requiring broadband providers to get your permission before selling your private data to advertisers, making it even more important to erase traces of your online actions.
Privacy Guardian helps hide your digital fingerprint—that is, specific information about you and your computer use that can be captured by malicious actors online that can steal and sell it or otherwise use it against you.
Privacy Guardian lets you customize which types of browser and cookie data are cleared whenever it performs a manual or scheduled data clearance, including:
Website history
HTTP cookies
Autocomplete data
Address bar history
Download history
Saved Passwords
Default Windows® 10 settings enable Microsoft to collect detailed personal information about your computer use. Many of these settings are buried within the OS and not easy to turn off.
Privacy Guardian lets you disable many Windows data-collection settings in one convenient wizard, including:
Microsoft Diagnostics, Data Collection and Telemetry Services
Location Services
SmartScreen Service
Windows Feedback Service
Cortana
Camera
Microphone
Activity history
Voice and handwriting recognition
Search suggestions that collect detailed information on how you use your computer
Microsoft access to Windows® User Account information
Websites access to your language preference, and more
First, customize your data-clearance settings:
From the Privacy Guardian Dashboard, click Privacy Item Clearing Schedule.
On the left side of the panel, click Settings.
This opens the Privacy Guardian Settings menu. It is here that you should select which cookies and browsing data you want Privacy Guardian to always clear when you perform a manual data-clearance or schedule an automatic one.
Make your selections and click Exit.
• Back in the Automatic Privacy Cleaning panel, under the Browsing data column, click Clear data next to the browser(s) you wish to clear.
After you have customized your data-clearance settings (see above):
In the Automatic Privacy Cleaning panel (accessed from the Privacy Guardian Dashboard > Privacy Item Clearing Schedule) under the Automatic cleaning column on the far right, click the slider button next to the browser(s) you wish to automatically clear.
Your data will automatically clear each time ActiveCare runs.
Adjust how frequently ActiveCare runs from within the System Mechanic red menu bar by clicking Settings > ActiveCare > Frequency, and selecting a frequency from the dropdown menu.
Some cookies are useful, e.g., by keeping you logged in to trusted websites or retaining your shopping cart orders. To whitelist certain websites from your scheduled or manual cookie/privacy item clearance, follow these steps:
From the Privacy Guardian Dashboard, click Privacy Item Clearing Schedule.
On the right side of the window, click the black (Dark mode) Add or remove websites from whitelist button.
You may Choose from popular options if you are unsure which websites to whitelist.
Click within the box that says Enter URL to type a specific website you have in mind.
Review your whitelisted sites in the box below this entry field.
Click Remove to re-enable cookie clearance for any given website in this list.
When you are finished making changes, click Done.
Click the Fingerprinting Protection icon in the left panel.
Enable Fingerprinting Protection to protect all of your browsers from malicious actors attempting to spy on your online habits.
Click the Privacy Shield icon in the left panel.
Enable Phishing Detection.
This new technology within Privacy Guardian looks to see whether incoming email is from a proxy DNS server, a common indicator of potential phishing attacks as the sender attempts to mask their identifying information, such as true IP address.
Click the Privacy Shield icon in the left panel (below Home).
Under Windows Data Sharing Services, click the buttons in the status column to Enable or Disable each item.
Personal data collection and reporting (Microsoft Diagnostics and Telemetry)
These services automatically record many user habits and actions, including memory snapshots, program usage, system configuration, network connection, and more.
Windows Feedback services
This setting lets Microsoft see a range of data about your machine, including which browser you’re using, which features you rely on, and which apps you have installed. This info is sometimes used by malicious software.
Browser history tracking (SmartScreen Service)
This service that collects data on browsing history and sends this information to Microsoft.
Location tracking services
Data retrieved from installed GPS modules and other location devices delivers highly precise information about current and past user locations. This data can be sold to third-party companies for profiling and targeted advertising purposes.
Disable Cortana virtual assistant
This commonly used feature sends to Microsoft enormous amounts of data related to precisely how you use your computer.
Disable camera and microphone access
When access to these tools is enabled by default, you are allowing all of the apps on your computer access to them.
Many types of malicious attacks access camera and microphone through vulnerable apps, to spy on you or steal your personal information.
Disable activity history collection
This feature, particularly when the Send my activity history to Microsoft box is also checked, risks exposing unknown quantities of information on how you use the apps and services on your computer.
Background information:
Your User Account has a specific profile. This information is considered part of your Privacy data.
Privacy and security concerns:
Apps with access to your User Account data can use your username, picture, and other account details in ways that could compromise your privacy. This feature turns off Windows app access to this data.
Background information:
Windows defaults to sharing with websites information about the languages you prefer. Websites use this information to provide more localized content.
Privacy and security concerns:
This is more data about you that Microsoft is collecting and sharing with third parties. If you prefer not to share information about your language preferences with websites, this feature easily disables the function.
Background information:
The Cortana/Start Menu search box auto-completes your typed searches by using data on recently opened documents and apps, visited websites, and more.
Privacy and security concerns:
In order to provide search suggestions, Windows extensively monitors your computer activity and collects and reports the data as part of Microsoft's broader telemetry efforts.
Background information:
By default, the Windows Settings app examines and records information on your typed searches so it can auto-fill the Find search box when you are looking for a setting.
Privacy and security concerns:
In order to provide search suggestions, Windows extensively monitors your computer activity and collects and reports the data as part of Microsoft's broader telemetry efforts.
Background information:
Windows 10 automatically engages handwriting recognition instead of touch keyboard when it detects a stylus or pen is in use.
Privacy and security concerns:
Handwriting patterns will be sent to Microsoft for analyzing. If the data ever leaks, hackers may fraudulently use your signature.
Background information:
Speech recognition lets you control your PC with your voice alone, without needing a keyboard or mouse.
Privacy and security concerns:
The potential for unauthorized users to take advantage of this function is significant, given the amount of access it provides. Voice commands may be able to open menus, launch system apps, click purchase buttons, edit the text of documents and send email, among other actions.
Background information:
Voice activation of apps lets you verbally launch specific apps.
Privacy and security concerns:
The potential for unauthorized users to take advantage of this function is significant, given the variety of apps installed on a typical computer.