Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement

    Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement

    Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement


    Posted: 05 Jun 2015

    What do Windows, Skype, Xbox Live and OneDrive have in common? One simpler service agreement and privacy statement from Microsoft.

    In a world of more personalized computing, customers need meaningful transparency and privacy protections. And those aren’t possible unless we get the basics right. For consumer services, that starts with clear terms and policies that both respect individual privacy and don’t require a law degree to read.

    In an effort to further simplify the terms and policies for our customers, we’re updating the Microsoft Services Agreement and the Microsoft Privacy Statement effective Aug. 1 to reflect our latest services in a more streamlined format. Customers will begin receiving notice of these changes today.

    The Microsoft Services Agreement will now expand to cover most of Microsoft’s consumer services, including Bing, Cortana, Microsoft account, OneDrive, Outlook.com, Skype and Xbox Live. A full list of products covered by this update to our terms of use can be found here. The Privacy Statement is also being refreshed and restructured, reducing redundancies and providing a singular, straightforward resource for understanding Microsoft’s commitments for protecting individual privacy with these services, and will also cover new technologies like the forthcoming Windows 10.

    We’ve approached the updated agreement and privacy statement guided by a few key principles:

    1. Simplicity: These changes bring together a number of previously separate – and often repetitive – documents to make it easier for customers to find and understand the information. Instead of agreeing to separate terms and statements for each service, customers who use more than one Microsoft service will be able to accept once for multiple services and review one privacy statement.
    2. Transparency: Although we’ve simplified and consolidated the terms and policies, we didn’t want to over-simplify, either. We want to give consumers meaningful information about how we collect and use personal data. Thus, the privacy statement still provides the service-level details our customers need in order to understand the privacy implications of the services they use.
    3. Privacy: These statements reiterate what we’ve said in the past: We don’t use customer communications to serve targeted ads to customers and we are committed to putting customers in control of their information.

    It is important to note that these changes do not represent a change in Microsoft’s approach to customer privacy. We are simplifying the services agreement and privacy statement because we believe that real transparency starts with straightforward terms and policies that people can clearly understand. As our services evolve, we recognize we must continue earning your trust. These changes aim to help do just that.

    Source: Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement for consumers - The Official Microsoft Blog
    Brink's Avatar Posted By: Brink
    05 Jun 2015


  1. Slartybart
    Posts : 3,502
    Win_8.1-Pro, Win_10.1607-Pro, Mint_17.3
       New #1

    June 6: Updates to our terms of use and privacy statement


    I received the following in an eMail.

    I don't think there is anything different from the previous agreements/statements, just cleaning things up for Win10. Consolidating multiple documents into one easier to understand document.

    You should do your own due diligence though ... I only skimmed the documents listed at the end of this post.

    As part of our effort to improve your experience across our consumer services, we’re updating the Microsoft Services Agreement and the Microsoft Privacy Statement. We want to take this opportunity to notify you about these updates.

    The Microsoft Services Agreement will cover most of Microsoft’s consumer online services, including Xbox Live, Bing, MSN, Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com and Microsoft account. You can see the full list here. The Microsoft Privacy Statement also covers most of Microsoft’s consumer products and services.

    Simplicity – Many of our customers use more than one Microsoft service, and have agreed to many sets of terms and privacy policies. To make it easier to use multiple services, we’ve brought together these documents into a single agreement and a consolidated privacy statement that cover most of our consumer services.

    Privacy – Our longstanding commitment to privacy has not changed. We remain committed to protecting your data, being clear about how we use it, and putting you in control. For example, we do not use the contents of your email, chat, video calls, documents, photos, or voicemail to target advertising to you. And as you’ll see when you read the Microsoft Privacy Statement, we offer a range of tools that enable you to make decisions about what data we collect. Additionally, we have launched a new privacy dashboard that makes it easier for you to make choices about how we use your data.

    Transparency – We are using straightforward language so our terms of use and Microsoft Privacy Statement are easier to understand. In addition, we’ve put key privacy information all in one place, so you no longer have to cross-reference several documents to understand the big picture. While this consolidation eliminates redundancies and simplifies the structure of the information, we continue to provide service-specific details to allow you to make informed choices about how you use our services. We’ve also added some additional privacy information about new features and functionality we’ll soon roll out, like those you’ll see on Windows 10.

    The updates will take effect on August 1, 2015. If you continue to use our services after August 1, 2015, you agree to the updated terms. If you do not agree, you can choose to discontinue use of the services and close your Microsoft account before August 1st. If you are an Xbox Live subscriber, you will be prompted soon to accept the terms when you log in to Xbox Live on your Xbox One, Xbox 360, or at Xbox.com. If you are a parent or guardian, you are responsible for your child or teenager’s use of Microsoft services, including purchases.

    Thank you for using Microsoft services.
    More information:
    Microsoft Services Agreement FAQ
    Microsoft Services Agreement
    Microsoft Privacy Statement
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  3. Cliff S
    Posts : 27,181
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       New #2

    Privacy – Our longstanding commitment to privacy has not changed. We remain committed to protecting your data, being clear about how we use it, and putting you in control. For example, we do not use the contents of your email, chat, video calls, documents, photos, or voicemail to target advertising to you
    Ummm Ah... Hello? Google?.
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  4. Slartybart
    Posts : 3,502
    Win_8.1-Pro, Win_10.1607-Pro, Mint_17.3
       New #3

    Cliff S said:
    Ummm Ah... Hello? Google?.
    Yeah, it was a slight jab at Google, but ....

    +edit
    it's also aimed at their own house after last year's discovery that a Marketing department in MS was doing that. MS changed the policy after that and a few heads got canned.
    -edit

    What wasn't said is just as important ... What does MS use to target advertising to you?

    It's all in the legalese so I won't argue either side of the case. That's why the docs are written and that's what the courts are for.
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  6. f14tomcat
    Posts : 56,825
    Multi-boot Windows 10/11 - RTM, RP, Beta, and Insider
       New #4

    Slartybart said:
    Yeah, it was a slight jab at Google, but .... what wasn't said is just as important ... What does MS use to target advertising to you?

    It's all in the legalese so I won't argue either side of the case. That why the docs are written and that's what the courts are for.
    They have a summer cottage in Ft. Meade, MD
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  7. Slartybart
    Posts : 3,502
    Win_8.1-Pro, Win_10.1607-Pro, Mint_17.3
       New #5

    f14tomcat said:
    They have a summer cottage in Ft. Meade, MD
    If you prefer sailing, there are cruises available at : 4251 Suitland Road Washington
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Source: Email from Microsoft See also: Updates
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Source: Microsoft Services Agreement FAQ
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