The statement authorizes Microsoft to share personal data collected through its products and services with named advertising partners, including Facebook, Xandr, Yahoo, Taboola, Outbrain, and The Trade Desk, for the purpose of delivering personalized advertising across Microsoft and third-party properties. Users may opt out of personalized ad data sharing via the Microsoft third-party ad settings page.
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
This provision establishes specific named third-party recipients of user personal data for advertising purposes, which may constitute a sale or sharing of personal data under CCPA and applicable state privacy laws. The scope of data shared and the identity of recipients are disclosed, but the specific data categories shared with each partner are not individually itemized. The statement notes Microsoft receives and responds to GPC signals in certain jurisdictions.
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 →⚠ Personal data will continue to be shared with named advertising partners including Facebook, Xandr, Yahoo, Taboola, and Outbrain for personalized advertising purposes as stated in the terms.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Third-Party Advertising Data Sharing and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"We may provide collected data to internal and external partners, including Xandr, other subsidiaries and affiliates, Yahoo, Facebook, or Trade Desk to help make sure the ads you see in our products and theirs, or on other sites, are more relevant to you. These companies currently include, but are not limited to: Facebook, Media.net, Outbrain, Taboola and Yahoo.Excerpt from Microsoft Azure's Microsoft Privacy
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This provision establishes specific named third-party recipients of user personal data for advertising purposes, which may constitute a sale or sharing of personal data under CCPA and applicable state privacy laws. The scope of data shared and the identity of recipients are disclosed, but the specific data categories shared with each partner are not individually itemized. The statement notes Microsoft …
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