It’s not hard to get people riled up about Internet privacy.

Privacy policies can seem long and technical, and it’s easier to listen to the digital shouts of the Twittersphere and the media.

After Windows 10 was released this summer, people said the operating system was spying on users and collecting data for extraneous purposes. Now, Microsoft is attempting to put those prickly privacy issues to rest with articles addressing the data Windows 10 collects and why.

In the company’s introductory blog post about the issue, Terry Myerson, executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group, makes it clear that the user is the most important factor when considering privacy.

From the very beginning, we designed Windows 10 with two straightforward privacy principles in mind: 1. Windows 10 collects information so the product will work better for you. 2. You are in control with the ability to determine what information is collected.

The company says the information falls into three levels: safety and reliability data, personalization data and advertising data.

Safety and reliability data includes info that lets Microsoft make sure the experience is secure and reliable. This data includes an anonymous device ID, device type and application crash data. It doesn’t include any of your content or files, and Myerson says they take extra steps to avoid collecting information that directly identifies someone, such as a name, email address or account ID. The data taken, also known as telemetry, is what Windows uses to improve its service, such as when the server crashes and is impacting users.

If, for example, you choose to turn on location services, Microsoft can improve its database of locations, cell towers and Wi-Fi access points but doesn’t save data identifying the person or device.

Telemetry is on by default in Windows 10, and individuals and small businesses can manage its collection in settings. Later this year, Windows 10 Enterprise and Education will have the option to disable telemetry completely, though it’s not recommended.

Personalization data in action is probably what users see the most. The company explains why it obtains data:

... to give you access to online services like Outlook, OneDrive, Cortana, Skype, Bing and the Windows Store, to personalize your experiences on Windows, to help you keep your preferences and files in sync on all your devices, to help keep your device up to date, and so that we can make the next features of Windows ones that you’ll enjoy.

Microsoft takes a sample of your typed or handwritten words to create a personalized dictionary and give text suggestions and autocorrections. It’s how autocorrect always knows to change my “lol” to “LOL,” the latter of which I use much more frequently. The content of those words that could be used to identify you, IDs and IP addresses, are automatically taken out. These settings can be changed in Settings > Privacy > Speech, inking, & typing.

Features like Cortana, which is off by default, require more personal information to effectively do what it’s supposed to, which is personalize your experience. That might include recommendations based on places marked in the Maps app or breaking news alerts about a sports team you follow in the MSN Sports app. Cortana also gives you privacy customization options.

Advertising is another piece of Internet territory that often worries users, especially when it’s clear that somehow the Internet knows I’ve been Googling cats nonstop. But Microsoft focuses on the data it doesn’t collect:

Unlike some other platforms, no matter what privacy options you choose, neither Windows 10 nor any other Microsoft software scans the content of your email or other communications, or your files, in order to deliver targeted advertising to you.

Windows does use a unique advertising ID (as does Apple), which allows app developers and advertisers provide more relevant ads, according to the Microsoft Privacy Statement. You can turn off access to this identifier in your device’s settings. If you decide to turn it on again, a new identifier will be generated.

And while the company says it prefers to show ads you find interesting, it sets one thing straight: “We don’t use what you say in email, chat, video calls or voice mail, or your documents, photos or other personal files to choose which ads to show you.”

The idea of data-collecting makes people paranoid, but a certain amount of data-collecting is what allows us to even carry out actions on the Internet, i.e. send, receive and store text messages or transfer credit card information to the bank to purchase apps.

But Windows’ effort at a transparent conversation about its privacy standards is an important one, especially when we’re constantly sharing in the digital space.