ShutUp10 1.4.1388

Overview

ShutUp10 is a security application designed for Windows 10 which aims to provide a granular control level for system administrators and other concerned computer users.

When it comes to security, Windows 10 comes with an overly-friendly sharing policy. The operating system includes the Steps Recorder which is a keystroke logger that can log key strokes and take screen shots of user' activities. Wi-Fi Sense can help to share protected Wi-Fi connections (but not actual passwords) with applications like Facebook and Skype via contact information and the Wi-Fi password is stored on a Microsoft-owned server. With ShutUp, Windows 10 users can lock out these features to mitigate any security concerns they may have about them.

Apps can be blocked from having access to either a wireless connection or another connected device like a printer. This will be most welcome for users who often don't see the need for a particular app to be able to “call out” to a web server when it is unclear why they should need to or what information is being potentially shared with the developer.

The user can enable/disable features via toggles. In this way, it is possible to get specific about which Windows features are acceptable and which should be turned off. This is usually not possible by manually configuring Windows 10.

Installation

The installation completed without any issues.

There was no adware, toolbars, spyware or malware included with the setup package.

ShutUp10 requires Windows 10. The software is not designed for earlier versions of Windows OS and will reject any installation on either Windows versions.

Interface

The interface is very slick and easy to figure out. There are neat little sliders to turn options on or off. It is all very well thought out and presented nicely.

Pros

• Prevent user data from being passed to other applications and used without the user's consent
• Prevent certain apps from being able to access the internet
• Keep diagnostic data private from the rest of the system
• Control when present location information is given out via sensor feedback
• Improve privacy with granular settings
• Control how Windows Update is used
• Disable automatic Windows driver updates
• Disable Bing.com searches inside Windows
• Disable OneDrive file sharing inside Windows
• Portable app

Cons

• Some entries have multiple listings which makes it difficult for the user to understand their precise purpose and they'll need to disable each of the multiple listings in order to be sure the feature is disabled, like Windows Update

Alternatives

Alternatives security tools for Windows 10 privacy control are: Destroy Windows 10 Spying (free), Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows 10 (free), Windows Privacy Tweaker (free- works on Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 as well), DoNotSpy 10 (freemium), W10 Privacy (free), Windows 10 Privacy Fixer and Disable Win Tracking (free).

If you are still using XP (maybe in a virtual machine), you can turn to XP Antispy that can turn off various privacy features in order to prevent information leakage.

Conclusion

ShutUp10 is a very useful free, portable privacy tool for concerned Windows 10 owners who find some of the new features that came with Windows 10 to be a bit of a concern.