Microsoft’s new “privacy dashboard.” (Microsoft Photo)

Microsoft has released a new “privacy dashboard” for Windows 10 that the company says will let users exercise greater control over their data.

The dashboard, which Microsoft said it is launching today, gives users the ability to see and manage activity information, such as location, search, browsing, and Cortana Notebook data across multiple Microsoft services.

“This is our first step in expanding the tools that give you visibility and control over your data spanning Microsoft products and services, and we will continue to add more functionality and categories of data over time,” Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group, wrote in a blog post.

This privacy setup screen is coming to a new Windows Insider build. (Microsoft Photo)

Additionally, Microsoft wants to make it easier to set up privacy protections when it puts out the Windows 10 Creators Update this spring. The new privacy setup screen, which replaces Express Settings on previous versions and can be controlled through voice commands, lets users turn off things like location data, diagnostics and relevant ads if they want.

This new privacy setup will soon be released on a limited basis via a Windows Insiders build.

As more of our lives move online, and high profile hacks have compromised significant chunks of user information, privacy has become a hot-button issue. Microsoft says it is working to make Windows 10 more secure than any other version of Windows.

“We want you to be informed about and in control of your data, which is why we’re working hard on these settings and controls,” Myerson wrote. “And regardless of your data collection choices, we will not use the contents of your email, chat, files, or pictures to target ads to you.”

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