Final answer:
OWD settings do not increase access levels granted by user profiles. Instead, they set the baseline for the most restrictive data access, which can be extended through role hierarchies, sharing rules, or manual sharing but not through profiles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is regarding whether the Organization-Wide Defaults (OWD) settings in a CRM system can be used to grant broader access through user profiles. The answer is No. OWD settings are designed to restrict data access to the most restrictive level by default. To grant more access, you would typically use role hierarchies, sharing rules, or manual sharing. User profiles, on the other hand, determine the baseline permissions and accesses a user has. If anything, a profile can only be restricted further by OWD settings, not broadened.