The need to keep tabs on gadgets that are likely to tap our data cannot be overemphasized. It is in our best interest to prevent our data from being tapped as they can be used to the advantage of pilferers. In that light, we explore a comprehensive tutorial on how to delete Cortana recordings in just a few minutes.
One of the caveats with using Cortana is that the privacy of your recording isn’t really guaranteed at least by default. Investigations from trusted sources like the Motherboard outfit reveals that Microsoft contractors listen to recordings of Cortana voice commands. Putting together the recordings of these voice commands can help describe your personality, which is vital information you may not want to give out so easily.
Thankfully, there are measures you can take to prevent your Cortana voice recordings from being tapped. Firstly you can delete the already existing Cortona recordings and you can also block Cortana from saving your voice commands/recordings.
How To Delete Cortana Recordings
1. On your Windows PC, ==> sign in to the Microsoft account that’s paired with your Cortana
2. Launch the Settings app on your Windows PC
3. In the setting app, click on accounts in the bottom-left corner
4. Click on the “Manage my Microsoft account” link situated under your username.
5. Click on the “privacy” tab listed as one of the items on the top of the page
6. Now reenter your Microsoft password when prompted by the system
7. Click on the “My Activity” tab
8. Proceed to open the “filter by data type” menu and then select “voice”
Now you should be able to see the list of the Cortana recordings associated with your Microsoft account.
9. Finally select “Clear activity” to delete your Cortana voice recordings. You can also click the “Clear” link at the bottom if you wish to delete the recordings individually.
How To Stop Cortana From Recording Your Voice
As mentioned earlier, blocking Cortona from your recording your voice is another highly beneficial step you take to prevent Microsoft from prying on your Data. Going forward, you can follow the steps that are outlined below to stop Cortana from recording your voice or activities.
- Launch the Settings app on your Windows PC
- On the right-hand column, Scroll down to Cortana
- Click on “permissions” from the options provided in the menu on the left side
- Click “Manage the information Cortana can access from this device.” Scroll down and then select “Speech Privacy Settings.”
- Now Toggle Online speech recognition off.
Please note that disabling Online speech recognition, in a bid to stop Cortana recording, will force Cortana to work with device-based speech recognition, which isn’t as efficient as using the cloud-based recognition engine, facilitated by its limited functionality.
Wrapping up:
Deleting your voice recordings and preventing Cortana from recording your voice, means you have taken vital steps to secure your privacy with the Cortana assistant. However if for some reason you weren’t able to complete the steps because of some challenges, feel free to drop your questions in the comment section below.