Windows 11 could soon let you see which apps might have been spying on you TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Windows 11 could soon let you see which apps might have been spying on you By Darren Allan published 19 June 2022 Privacy Auditing feature is a useful addition now in testing (Image credit: Shutterstock / Stardock - kathayut kongmanee) Audio player loading… Windows 11 has a neat new privacy tool which is now in testing, and allows you to see what applications have recently accessed sensitive bits of hardware like your webcam. The Privacy Auditing feature was shown off on Twitter, by Microsoft's VP for Enterprise and OS Security, David Weston, and it's present in a new preview build of Windows 11 (being tested in the Dev Channel, where the earliest preview versions of the OS are put through their paces). New Windows 11 Privacy Auditing features allow you to see history of sensitive device access like the Microphone pic.twitter.com/vq3IJkAIMOJune 16, 2022See more The feature nestles under Settings (in Privacy & security > App permissions), where you can view a list of recent activity to see, for example, which apps have accessed your microphone in the past week, or maybe your camera, another obvious point of call for checking up on any potentially suspicious activity. It also keeps tabs on applications which have accessed your contacts, or details relating to your location, phone calls and more. In each instance, the user is also told the exact time and date of the access made to the hardware or function in question. (Image credit: Microsoft) Analysis A useful way to keep an eye on your applications It's good to see that the coverage provided here is pretty wide-ranging in terms of keeping tabs on various sensitive bits and bobs, from the obvious cameras and mics, through to contacts and other such details. This is great info to have in terms of transparency relating to what the software on your system is getting up to. Periodically checking through the privacy audits present in Settings could potentially yield some interesting findings, flagging up apps that you wouldn't have otherwise known had got their claws into some more sensitive aspects of your system (or highlighting something malicious that has flown under the radar, even). Microsoft has long had a troubled reputation for privacy when it comes to Windows, particularly since Windows 10 came along, so it's also good to see the software giant taking a positive step forward on this front – one that should help Windows 11 users maintain a better level of vigilance and overall security when it comes to their PC. Assuming the feature makes it past the testing stage, of course...Today's best Laptop deals (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$556.19 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$849.76 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,099.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)Show More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Via Bleeping Computer (opens in new tab) Darren Allan Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013). See more Operating systems news TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie3Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago4RTX 4090 too expensive? Nvidia resurrects another old favorite5Blizzard made me explain Overwatch 2 smurfing to my mum for nothing1Best laptops for designers and coders 2The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me3Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie4iPhone 15 tipped to come with an upgraded 5G chip5Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)