Microsoft collects personal data about you from multiple sources: directly from you, automatically through how you use its products, and from third-party sources. The type and volume of data depends on which Microsoft products you use and your privacy settings.
This analysis describes what Microsoft Azure's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The breadth of collection sources means that even data you did not actively provide to Microsoft may be held and used, including data obtained from third parties, which many users may not anticipate.
Microsoft now discloses that it may contact you by phone for marketing using automated dialers and AI-generated voices if you have consented to marketing communications, which represents a new disclo…
Microsoft's privacy policy now provides a less detailed explanation of how long your data is retained. Previously, the policy included specific examples, such as how long deleted emails remain in you…
Microsoft's updated retention policy provides greater specificity about how long your data persists and under what conditions it is deleted. The policy now explicitly states that deleted items from O…
Your personal data including name, contact details, device identifiers, location, browsing history, voice data, and content of files may be collected automatically as you use Microsoft products, and additional data about you may be obtained from third-party sources outside your direct control.
How other platforms handle this
At Ledger, earning and maintaining our users' trust is a top priority. That's why we are deeply committed not only to protecting your privacy and securing your personal data, but also to being fully transparent about how we handle it.
We collect the following information when you register for and use our services: Account information. You can create a Discord account by providing an email address and creating a username and password. When you create an account, we will assign you a unique identifier. If you choose to, you may pro...
We collect information you provide directly to us, such as when you create an account, contact us for support, sign up for marketing emails, or otherwise communicate with us. The types of information we may collect include your name, email address, postal address, phone number, company name, job tit...
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"We collect data from you, through our interactions with you and through our products. You provide some of this data directly, and we get some of it by collecting data about your interactions, use, and experiences with our products. The data we collect depends on the context of your interactions with Microsoft and the choices you make, including your privacy settings and the products and features you use. We also obtain data about you from third parties.— Excerpt from Microsoft Azure's Microsoft Privacy
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The broad collection scope implicates GDPR Articles 13 and 14, which require transparency about data obtained from third parties. CCPA requires disclosure of categories of personal information collected and their sources. The FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive data practices. EU data protection authorities and state attorneys general are relevant enforcement bodies. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The statement discloses collection from third parties but does not enumerate those sources with specificity in all cases. This level of disclosure may be sufficient under current law in many jurisdictions but could face scrutiny in contexts where regulators require more granular third-party source identification. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users have enhanced rights under GDPR to receive information about third-party data sources. California residents have CCPA rights to know categories of sources. Illinois BIPA may be implicated where biometric data is collected. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Procurement teams integrating Microsoft products should assess whether their data processing agreements adequately address the scope of data Microsoft collects as a processor versus controller, and whether third-party data flows are covered. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Organizations should map the categories of personal data Microsoft collects against their own data inventories and assess whether employee or customer data is included in Microsoft's third-party data acquisition flows.
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The breadth of collection sources means that even data you did not actively provide to Microsoft may be held and used, including data obtained from third parties, which many users may not anticipate.
Your personal data including name, contact details, device identifiers, location, browsing history, voice data, and content of files may be collected automatically as you use Microsoft products, and additional data about you may be obtained from third-party sources outside your direct control.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 10 platforms. See the full comparison.
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