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 disclosure of contact method and technology type. The company has also reorganized its data retention policy to state it retains data for broader business purposes including improving products and protecting systems, while removing previous specific examples and retention criteria, making it less clear exactly how long specific types of your data will be kept. You should review your consent settings for marketing communications and verify what contact methods you have authorized, particularly if you have concerns about automated or AI-generated calls.
View change record →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 your system before final deletion, and listed criteria for deciding retention periods. Now those details are consolidated into a more general statement pointing readers to separate product documentation. This means you'll need to consult multiple documents to understand retention timelines for specific services, which reduces transparency at the point of reading the main privacy policy.
View change record →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 OneDrive and Outlook.com may remain in Microsoft's systems for up to 30 days before permanent removal, even after you empty the Deleted Items folder. Additionally, the updated terms clarify that retention periods depend on whether you have an expectation that Microsoft will keep the data until you actively remove it, and whether automated controls exist to let you access and delete data yourself. You can review Microsoft's privacy dashboard to exercise available deletion controls and understand which services retain your data under these criteria.
View change record →Removal of general overview of data collection scope suggests fragmentation into more specific provisions rather than consolidated principle.
View full change record →New foundational provision establishing the scope and sources of data collection including direct provision, behavioral tracking, contextual collection, and third-party sources.
View full change record →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
If you choose to reveal any personal information about yourself to other users, you do so at your own risk. We strongly encourage you to use caution in disclosing any personal information online.
to request that your data be transferred to a third party (data portability)
Your organization may allow you to access and export your data in order to back it up or transfer it to a service outside of Google.
"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.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
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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 290 platforms. See the full comparison.
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