Review privacy permissions
macOS asks apps to request permission before they can reach sensitive things like your camera, microphone, or files. Reviewing those permissions now and then keeps apps to only what they genuinely need.
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Where to look
Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security. Each category, Camera, Microphone, Files and Folders, Screen & System Audio Recording, Accessibility, lists the apps that have asked for it. Go through them and turn off anything that doesn't make sense.
The ones worth checking
Pay particular attention to Screen Recording and Accessibility, since these are powerful and are sometimes requested by software that doesn't need them. If an app you don't recognise has either, turn it off and see whether anything you actually use breaks.
Check location too
Under Location Services, set apps to only have your location when they need it. A weather app needs it; most others don't. Turning off what isn't needed is good for privacy and battery alike.
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