This post is sponsored by SpyShelter. The product choices and opinions expressed in this article are from the sponsor and do not reflect the editorial direction of How-To Geek or its staff.
Microsoft’s new Windows 11 Recall feature is already being called a security disaster by many, and it’s clear to see why. In order to operate, the feature makes use of a suite of invasive screenshotting capabilities.
The problem with this is that this Recall feature could also be used by big companies such as Microsoft in order to gather huge amounts of data to train their large-language AI models.
That’s where programs such as SpyShelter come in. These programs can help to protect your computer and your privacy from being taken advantage of and stop your data from being converted into the newest AI model without your knowledge or warning.
What Is SpyShelter?
SpyShelter
SpyShelter is a unique type of antispyware program that functions much differently than an antivirus in that it reveals hidden changes to your PC that can indicate surveillance is currently taking place.
In essence, SpyShelter is an antispyware application, and quite a good one considering that it has been doing so for 15 years now. It provides real-time protection against a whole host of different cyber threats such as malware and spyware by making application activities that would normally go unseen entirely visible.
For example, programs like keyloggers will try to run silently in the background in order to record your keystrokes. It can then use this recorded information to access login details for your personal accounts such as for your email or bank accounts.
SpyShelter stops this from being an option by providing power application control features such as giving you control over what apps can do when, limiting the things they can do, and much more.
What Is SpyShelter Capable Of?
SpyShelter comes with a wide range of features that work directly to help mitigate or outright prevent intrusions on your device. There are almost too many to list, but some of the most important can make all the difference on your computer.
Audio and Microphone Protection
While some laptops may have a light that indicates that your webcam is currently on, the same isn’t true for your microphone. This means that malicious actors could potentially be accessing the microphone in your laptop at any time in order to record your conversations or worse.
SpyShelter stops this from being an option by giving you immediate alerts whenever an application attempts to access your microphone or camera. From there, you get the option of how you want to proceed with the application, meaning that you won’t have to worry about losing microphone access when you want it and preventing access when you don’t.
Executable Insights
SpyShelter
When it comes to files that you can download on your computer, .exe files are some of the most dangerous. After all, an .exe file exists to execute a series of instructions on your computer, whatever those instructions may be.
More often than not, this will simply be an application, but that doesn’t change the fact that the wrong .exe file can completely take control of your PC or worse. That’s where SpyShelter’s Insights feature comes into play.
This feature gives you in-depth information about each and every .exe file that you have on your PC if you so wish, allowing you to gain a greater understanding of what an .exe file that you download is before you choose to run it.
This can be incredibly useful if you ever need to make sure that an .exe is legitimate before you run it, and can save you a whole host of pain in the long term by preventing accidental installations.
Installation Alerts
SpyShelter
Speaking of accidental installations, SpyShelter also comes with an installation alert feature. This feature will let you know if anything is ever installed on your PC, and help you to understand what it is.
For example, you may install one program but miss a checkbox that adds an additional program or service that you don’t want. This installation alert feature would let you know that you’re getting this extra program, and what it does, allowing you to remove it without hassle.
This can be a particularly impactful way to stay ahead of AI tools that might want to use your personal data for their training sets without you being entirely aware that that is what they’re doing.
Screenshot Prevention
In this same vein, SpyShelter offers a screenshot-prevention feature. As you might imagine from the feature’s name, this prevents programs from taking pictures or recordings of your screen if you don’t want them to.
For some programs, say for screen capture or recording software, this is a useful feature to have and quite helpful, but for most programs, the ability to record what is happening is entirely unnecessary to its functioning.
Instead, the ability to record your screen or capture screenshots is being used to capture your data. Alternatively, screenshotting capabilities are used by spyware in order to access and collect your personal information without your consent.
This feature can be useful for blocking third party AI apps similar to Microsoft’s new Windows 11 Recall feature that screenshots your PC activity in order to collect AI training data.
Application Control
SpyShelter
On top of this, SpyShelter also comes with a host of powerful application rules that you can adjust based on your own preferences and needs.
This is done through a series of allowlists and blocklists that you can set up in order to lock down and control what your apps are and are not allowed to do. This can be as restrictive as you want it to be. You can prevent unknown applications from running in any way shape or form, or control what it is exactly that you want to allow applications to do.
The power is ultimately in your hands. If you trust Mozilla and want to allow all of its apps, then you are free to do so. If you distrust Google apps, you can block those instead.
Application Event Monitoring
Additionally, SpyShelter comes with an application event monitoring feature. This feature detects and exposes invisible applications and the activities that they perform, allowing you to more easily detect and prevent spyware from gaining access to your computer.
Spyware’s primary tool for gaining access to your computer is by remaining hidden, and as soon as you’re aware of the program trying to siphon off your personal information, the more easily you can stop it.
Try It Now for Free
What makes SpyShelter truly stand out, however, is that you can use it entirely for free as long as it isn’t for commercial use.
If you do want a wider range of features, however, SpyShelter does come with two additional plans that come with some more expansive features. These include additional security modes, the ability to use the license on multiple devices, active threat monitoring, and many more.
Protect Your Personal Information
As you can see, SpyShelter provides a comprehensive suite of tools that not only help to alert and outright prevent spyware from taking hold of your PC, but it also helps to prevent big companies from taking advantage of you through big, unexpected updates.
When you combine this with the fact that you can use SpyShelter entirely for free, then there’s little reason not to give it a go, especially if you’re concerned about the safety of your computer or any of the information that you keep there.
This is a sponsored post. The product choices and opinions expressed in this article are from the sponsor and do not reflect the editorial direction of How-To Geek or its staff.
