A multinational technology corporation that develops and licenses software, hardware, and cloud computing services, including the Windows operating system, Office productivity suite, Xbox gaming platform, and Azure cloud services. The company operates major digital platforms and services used by billions of consumers and businesses worldwide, making its policies on data privacy, content moderation, and AI governance significant for user rights and digital market competition. As a designated gatekeeper under various regulatory frameworks, its policy decisions regarding platform access, data handling, and algorithmic transparency have broad implications for the technology industry.

5 Documents
87 All provisions 13 High severity 55 Medium severity 19 Low severity
14 Changes · 12 mo
Jun 30, 2026 Last change

High, provisions that significantly limit your legal rights, authorize broad data collection, or create material financial exposure. Medium, provisions worth knowing about but with partial protections or limited scope. Low, standard terms with minimal consumer impact.

Governance Coverage
Data Collection
43 provisions · 14 high · 27 med
Ai Automated
31 provisions · 18 high · 13 med
Account Control
25 provisions · 15 high · 9 med
Liability Limitation
25 provisions · 14 high · 9 med
Data Sharing
24 provisions · 7 high · 16 med
Contract Terms
23 provisions · 8 high · 10 med
Data Usage
22 provisions · 7 high · 12 med
Data Retention
20 provisions · 6 high · 10 med
Acceptable Use
20 provisions · 14 high · 6 med
Intellectual Property
17 provisions · 6 high · 10 med
Quick Facts
Arbitration: Mandatory
AI Training: Disclosed (high impact)
Data Retention: Specified
Class Action: Waived
Key Governance Provisions
High Privacy security principle restricts AI system operation

This clause extends the enumerated principles across the full AI system lifecycle—design, build, and operation—not merely at a single stage.

High Ethical generative AI use bias avoidance requirement

By enumerating five specific ethical considerations as requirements for generative AI use, Microsoft establishes a defined checklist of obligations rather than a general aspiration.

High Legal and regulatory compliance obligation for AI

This clause ties legal and regulatory compliance and bias avoidance directly to the goal of responsible and fair AI use, establishing both as affirmative requirements rather than optional practices.

High Ethical considerations require human oversight

Requiring human oversight means that AI decisions or outputs are not fully autonomous; human review is a stated obligation within Microsoft's responsible AI framework.

High Copilot personal data security commitment

This clause simultaneously asserts a data retention function (remembering details) and a data protection commitment, making both the capability and the security posture explicit.

Document Coverage
Aigovernance Privacypolicy Responsibleai Servicesagreement
Last change detected: Jun 30, 2026 Changes (12 months): 14 Documents monitored: 5 Provisions tracked: 87
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Documents

Microsoft Responsible AI Standard

Low

This document sets out Microsoft's binding rules for how its AI systems, including Copilot, must be built and used responsibly, requiring equal treatment, human oversight, and strong privacy and security …

Last updated May 12, 2026 · Responsible ai
6 provisions 3 versions captured Version history →

Responsible AI Report 2025

Medium

This document establishes Microsoft's governance framework and internal standards for the design, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence systems across its product portfolio, including Azure AI, Copilot, and Bing. The …

Last updated March 5, 2026 · Ai governance
7 provisions 1 version captured Version history →

Responsible AI

Low

This document sets out Microsoft's rules and values for how it builds and deploys AI responsibly, including commitments to fairness, privacy, and safety. When you use Copilot at work, it …

Last updated March 5, 2026 · Responsible ai
8 provisions 3 versions captured Version history →

Microsoft Services Agreement (Legacy)

High

This agreement sets out the rules for using Microsoft's Services. Microsoft can change the terms at any time, and continuing to use the Services means you accept the new rules. …

Last updated March 5, 2026 · Services agreement
10 provisions 2 versions captured Version history →

Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)

Medium

This document governs how Microsoft collects and uses your personal information across its products. Microsoft collects a wide range of data—including your location, browsing history, and the content of your …

Last updated March 5, 2026 · Privacy policy
10 provisions 10 versions captured 5 significant changes Version history →

Recent Changes

June 26, 2026 · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) Medium

Microsoft substantially reorganized and rewrote its privacy statement on June 26, 2026. The company removed detailed explanations of specific third-party data sources it previously disclosed (data brokers, public social media …

View change record →
April 19, 2026 · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) Medium

Microsoft modified its data retention policy language on April 19, 2026. Previously, the policy described specific retention criteria including whether customers expected data to be retained until they removed it, …

View change record →
April 1, 2026 · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) Medium

Microsoft revised its data retention policy language on April 1, 2026. Previously, the policy outlined specific retention criteria including whether customers expected data retention until deletion, whether automated deletion controls …

View change record →
March 13, 2026 · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) Medium

Microsoft updated its Privacy Statement in March 2026 with two substantive changes: removal of language describing additional rights for European Economic Area users, and addition of language authorizing contact via …

View change record →
March 5, 2026 · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) Medium

Microsoft removed a sentence from its privacy statement that described consent-based marketing contact via auto-dialer and prerecorded voice technology potentially generated using AI. The updated document no longer explicitly discloses …

View change record →
📈 Policy Drift Analysis View all changes →

High Severity Provisions (13)

View all high severity provisions → Compare Microsoft with other platforms →

Applicable Regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
View official text ↗
BIPA
Illinois, USA
View official text ↗
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
View official text ↗
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
View official text ↗
CFAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
View official text ↗
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
View official text ↗
DMA
European Union
View official text ↗
DSA
European Union
View official text ↗
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
View official text ↗
FAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
View official text ↗
GDPR
European Union
View official text ↗
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
View official text ↗
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
View official text ↗
TCPA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Texas AI Act
Texas, USA
View official text ↗
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
View official text ↗
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
View official text ↗
VPPA
United States Federal
View official text ↗

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Microsoft documents does ConductAtlas track?

ConductAtlas tracks 5 Microsoft documents including terms of service, privacy policy, and other governance documents. Every document is captured daily with cryptographic verification.

How many policy changes has Microsoft made in the past year?

Microsoft has made 14 policy changes in the past 12 months across the documents ConductAtlas tracks.

How many provisions has ConductAtlas classified for Microsoft?

ConductAtlas has classified 87 provisions across Microsoft's tracked documents. 13 are rated high severity, 55 medium, and 19 low.

Can I get alerts when Microsoft changes their policies?

Yes. Monitor subscribers ($4.99/month) can add Microsoft to their watchlist and receive same-day email alerts whenever any tracked document changes.