[SOLVED] Regarding Windows 10 file system access and privacy

[Oblivion77]

Dear forum

English is not my first language, and my Windows is in danish, so please excuse spelling mistakes etc.

"Allow that apps gain acces to file system" = ON
"Choose which apps that shall have access to your file system" = List is empty / there is no apps

I have read the support site and other articles regarding the topic

The list with the apps that shall have access to my system is empty.
1)
Does that mean, that there is no apps that have access to my file system?

2)
What is the meaning of "file system"?
Is the Windows Pictures folder and Windows Documents folder?
Is it the WHOLE drive?

3)
Where can I see, which apps previously have been granted access to my file system?

4)
Is it possible to see, if deleted apps were granted access to file system?

Thank you in advance for replying!

Best regards

 

[Math Geek]

that setting allows apps to access personal files such as all the library folders (documents, pics, videos, etc) but it also includes other personal files located elsewhere. pretty much anything but windows system files would be opened to the app.

it does not appear that there is a way to tell what apps have accessed your files in the past. a quick google search did not show any way outside normal windows monitoring that i can find. this is one of those settings that should be disabled by default but for whatever reason MS decided to enable it by default

windows store apps run in a container and are isolated from everything. this setting let's it get around that restriction and collect data on you anyway. this does not in any way prevent windows itself from gathering on your which it does fully and completely no matter what settings you change.

 

[Oblivion77]

Dear Math Geek

Thank you for your reply!

The list with the apps that shall have access to my system is empty.
1)
Does that mean, that there is no apps that have access to my file system? Yes?

"this is one of those settings that should be disabled by default"
What setting are you refering to here?

"collect data"
diagnostic and usage data?

 

[Math Geek]

the list being empty means no apps have requested access. if there was any on the list, then you'd have that on/off button next to it to say yes or no.

and by "should be disabled by default" means that the main on/off switch for the service should come set to "off". should be at the top of the page where you can turn it off completely and not app by app.

 

[Oblivion77]

and by "should be disabled by default" means that the main on/off switch for the service should come set to "off". should be at the top of the page where you can turn it off completely and not app by app.

I agree to this


More questions:
In File system and Allow apps to access your file system

The function is ON, and it was ON by default.

Does that mean, that apps get granted access automatically, or do they still have to ask for permission?
OFF, does that auto-block permissions?

 

[Math Geek]

turning the main button off should keep any app from getting the access. but if it is on, individual apps probably get access by default. i don't really use store apps so not really sure if it defaults or not. think the one time i got a recording app from the store, i had to manually allow the mic so it could work.

the whole idea of store apps is security so it may have to ask your permission to allow the access. but that's just a guess based on a single app i got a long time ago.