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Privacy permissions, notifications and application defaults

Control which programs may use your camera, microphone and location, tame notifications, choose which program opens each kind of file, and finish with a privacy review checklist for Ubuntu and Windows.

30 minelementaryUbuntu/LinuxWindowsPractical task needs a laptop or desktop

Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).

By the end of this lesson you will be able to

  • Explain what camera, microphone and location permissions allow a program to do.
  • Review and change app permissions on Ubuntu and Windows.
  • Control notifications and use Do Not Disturb.
  • Change the default program for a file type and complete a privacy review.

Your laptop has a camera, a microphone and a way to guess where you are. Programs need these for good reasons, such as a video call, but a program that does not need them should not have them. Permissions are the controls that put you in charge. This lesson shows you where they live, how to quiet noisy notifications and how to make files open in the program you prefer.

What a permission is

An app permission is your decision about whether a program may use a sensitive part of the computer or sensitive information. Three matter most for everyday privacy. Camera lets a program take pictures or video. Microphone lets it record sound. Location lets it learn roughly where you are, from your Wi-Fi network or your internet connection. Both systems ask or let you choose, and you can change your mind at any time.

A good rule is least necessary. A video call program needs the camera and microphone while you are on a call. A calculator needs neither. If a program asks for something that does not match its job, deny it. A torch app that wants your location, for instance, has no reason to. Refusing is safe, because you can allow it later if something stops working.

Diagram

A simple way to decide whether to allow a permission request.

  • A program asks to use your camera, microphone or location. Do you know it and expect the request?
    • YesDoes the permission match what you are doing right now?
      • YesDo thisAllow it. Review your permissions list now and then.
      • NoDo thisDeny it. A program should only ask for what its job needs.
    • NoDo thisDeny it. Consider uninstalling it.
A simple way to decide whether to allow a permission request.
Read this figure as text

A yes or no decision tree for deciding whether to allow a program to use the camera, microphone or location.

A decision tree. Start: a program asks to use your camera, microphone or location. Question one: do you recognise the program and expect it to ask? If no, deny it and consider removing the program. If yes, question two: does the permission match what you are doing right now, for example a video call needing the camera? If no, deny it. If yes, allow it, and review the list later to remove anything you no longer need.

Review camera, microphone and location

These pages change in small ways between releases. If you cannot find an option, look for the Privacy section of Settings.

On Ubuntu 24.04

  1. Step 1: Open Privacy & Security

    Open Settings and click Privacy & Security.

    You should see: You see items such as Camera, Microphone, Location Services, Screen Lock and Diagnostics.

  2. Step 2: Check the camera and microphone

    Click Camera, then Microphone. Each has a switch that turns it on or off for the whole system.

    You should see: With the switch off, no program can use that device.

  3. Step 3: Check location

    Click Location Services and decide whether to leave it on. Some programs, such as weather, work better with it on.

    You should see: A switch shows the state, and some versions list the programs that asked.

Programs installed as snaps or flatpaks may list their own permissions under Settings, then Apps, then the program's name. Look for entries such as Camera or Microphone there.

Illustration

An illustration of a typical permissions list; the exact wording varies between versions.

Settings: Camera
Camera accessOn
Video CallAllowed
Photo EditorAllowed
Old GameOff
  1. Marker 1: Main switch for the whole device
  2. Marker 2: A program you expect to use the camera
  3. Marker 3: A program that has no need: switched off
An illustration of a typical permissions list; the exact wording varies between versions.
Read this figure as text

An illustration of a settings page with a camera permission switch and a short list of programs each with its own switch.

An illustration, not an exact screenshot, of a settings window titled Privacy and security, on a Camera page. The first line is a main switch, Camera access, set to On (marker 1). Below it is a list of three fictional programs: Video Call, which is allowed (marker 2), Photo Editor, which is allowed, and Old Game, which is switched off (marker 3). The learner can turn each program on or off.

Notifications

A notification is a short message that a program pops up on your screen, such as a new email or an update ready to install. Useful ones save time. Too many make it hard to concentrate, and they can reveal private messages to anyone looking over your shoulder or watching a projected screen. You can control notifications for each program, or silence them all for a while with Do Not Disturb.

Control notifications

On Ubuntu 24.04

  1. Step 1: Open Notifications

    Open Settings and click Notifications.

    You should see: You see a Do Not Disturb switch and a list of programs.

  2. Step 2: Adjust one program

    Click a program in the list and switch off its notifications, or its banners and lock-screen display.

    You should see: That program no longer pops up banners.

  3. Step 3: Quick silence

    Click the date and time at the top of the screen and use the Do Not Disturb switch in the notification panel.

    You should see: A small icon shows that Do Not Disturb is on. Messages wait in the panel for later.

Default applications

When you double-click a file, the computer opens it with a default application: the program chosen for that kind of file. A program installed later can take over, and sometimes the wrong one opens, such as a photo that opens in a graphics editor instead of a simple viewer. Setting the defaults means files open as you expect. You can also use Open With on one file without changing the default.

Diagram

Double-clicking a file: the extension is matched to a program through the defaults list.

  1. Step 1: Double-clickLetter.pdf
  2. Step 2: Read extension.pdf
  3. Step 3: Check defaultsWhich program?
  4. Step 4: OpenChosen program
Double-clicking a file: the extension is matched to a program through the defaults list.
Read this figure as text

A flow showing a double click on a PDF file, the system checking the defaults list, and the chosen program opening it.

A flow of four steps. Step one: you double-click a file called Letter.pdf. Step two: the computer reads the extension, pdf. Step three: it looks up which program is the default for pdf in the defaults settings. Step four: the chosen program opens the file. Changing the default changes step three, so the same file opens in a different program.

Change a default program

On Ubuntu 24.04

  1. Step 1: Open Default Apps

    Open Settings, click Apps, then Default Apps. On older releases the same choices are under Settings, then Default Applications.

    You should see: A list of kinds of content, such as Web, Mail, Music, Video and Photos.

  2. Step 2: Pick a program

    Choose the program you want from each list.

    You should see: The choice is saved as soon as you make it.

  3. Step 3: For one file

    Right-click a file in Files, choose Open With Other Application, pick a program, and tick Always use for this type of file only if you want to change the default.

    You should see: The file opens in the program you picked.

A privacy review you can repeat

Once you know where the settings are, a review takes only a few minutes. Do it when you set up a new laptop, after you install new programs and then every few months.

  • Camera: only video-call programs and others you trust have access. Anything unknown is off.
  • Microphone: the same rule. Turn off programs that do not record sound.
  • Location: off unless you use a program that truly needs it, such as maps or weather.
  • Notifications: silence programs that nag, and hide message previews on the lock screen.
  • Screen lock: set a short time before the screen locks, so that nobody can use your laptop when you walk away.
  • Defaults: web browser, PDF viewer and mail program are the ones you chose, not ones that installed themselves.
  • Programs you do not use: remove them. A program that is not installed cannot ask for permissions.

Common mistakes

  • ✖ Instead of: Clicking Allow on every permission request to make the message go away.

    ✔ Do this: Ask whether the request fits what the program does. If it does not, deny it.

  • ✖ Instead of: Turning off all notifications, including security and update ones.

    ✔ Do this: Silence the noisy programs, and keep notifications from update, security and calendar tools you rely on.

  • ✖ Instead of: Renaming a file's extension to make it open in another program.

    ✔ Do this: Use Open With, or change the default application for that file type.

If something goes wrong

A video call cannot see my camera or hear me.
Check that the camera and microphone switches are on in the privacy settings, and that the call program is allowed. Close other programs that might be using the camera, then restart the call.
I cannot find a permission switch for one program.
Not every program appears in the lists. Check the program's own settings too, and look under Apps in Settings. For websites, the browser has its own site permissions, shown by the icon next to the address.
My default program keeps changing back.
Some programs ask to become the default when they start. Say no when asked, then set the default again in Settings. If it changes after an update, check once more and keep the review habit.

Key terms

App permission
Your decision about whether a program may use a sensitive feature such as the camera, microphone or your location.
Notification
A short message that a program shows on your screen, such as a new email or an available update.
Default application
The program the computer uses automatically to open a certain kind of file or link.

Practise it for real

Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.

Guided exerciseNeeds a laptop or desktop

Review three permissions

On your own laptop, open the privacy settings. Look at the Camera, Microphone and Location pages. For each one, write down which programs can use it and decide whether each one needs it. Turn off any that you do not need. If you are unsure, leave it as it is and note the name so you can look it up later.

You have succeeded when:
Independent challengeNeeds a laptop or desktop

Challenge: set the right default and silence one program

Without step-by-step help, find a file of a type that opens in a program you do not like, for example a PDF or a photo. Use Open With to try a different program once. If you prefer it, make it the default. Then pick one program whose notifications you find unhelpful and turn them off, and take a note of how you did each task.

You have succeeded when:

Knowledge check

6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.

  1. Question 1.A torch (flashlight) app asks for permission to use your microphone and location. What is the best response?
  2. Question 2.Once you deny a permission to a program, you can never change your mind.
  3. Question 3.Match each setting to what it controls.
  4. Question 4.Fatuma double-clicks a PDF, and it opens in an image editor, which is slow and awkward.What is the cleanest fix?
  5. Question 5.Why might you hide message previews on the lock screen?
  6. Question 6.Put this privacy review into a sensible order.
    1. Open the privacy settings
    2. Set a short screen lock time
    3. Check camera, microphone and location access
    4. Switch off what is not needed

Summary

  • Permissions control whether programs may use the camera, microphone or location. Allow only what a program needs.
  • You can change any permission at any time in the privacy settings.
  • Notifications can be switched off per program or silenced with Do Not Disturb.
  • Defaults decide which program opens each file type; Open With changes it for one file.
  • A privacy review takes minutes and is worth repeating every few months.

Checklist: can you do these?

Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).

Related lessons

References and further reading

Official sources for details that can change between versions.

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