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I-Spy: Change your computer’s settings to stop programs spying on you

Change the settings on your PC and Mac to restrict access to your camera, mic, and location.

Your phone knows a lot about you. It tracks your movement, browsing habits, downloads, and more. Go here for a trick to know when your phone’s camera or microphone is being used.

You also need to worry about social media apps, voice assistants, and smart TVs from listening and recording what you have to say. Tap or click for steps to put a stop to it.

Phone apps ask permission to access your camera, mic, and location. You can go into your phone’s settings to grant or restrict these permissions. Did you know you can do the same for your PC or Mac? Here’s how.

Windows has a Privacy page where you can fiddle with your app permissions. It just takes a few clicks.

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There are many permissions on the list, including access to your calendar, files and folders, email, music library, notifications, and webcam. Consider whether an app truly needs the access level it requests by default.

See a complete list of app permissions and what they allow access to here.

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You receive an alert when a third-party app tries to access and control your Mac through accessibility features. You must specifically grant the app access to your Mac in Privacy & Security settings.

You can go into your settings to change permissions at any time. Here’s how:

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My popular podcast is called "Kim Komando Today." It’s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.

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Are you dealing with Christmas stress? The government is here to help. Also, Google launches yet another way to stuff websites with ads, Netflix expands its video game collection, animate your own stories with Alexa, IRS scam and five smart ways to use Bluetooth trackers.

Check out my podcast "Kim Komando Today" on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, "Komando."

Get more tech know-how on The Kim Komando Show, broadcast on 425+ radio stations and available as a podcast. Sign up for Kim’s 5-minute free morning roundup for the latest security breaches and tech news. Need help? Drop your question for Kim here.

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