What can I do about this clause?

{'method': 'WEB_FORM', 'recipient': 'https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings', 'difficulty': 'EASY', 'action_type': 'OPT_OUT_ARBITRATION', 'instructions': 'Go to account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings and toggle off interest-based advertising. This stops Microsoft from using your behavioral data for personalized ad targeting across Microsoft services.', 'deadline_days': None, 'deadline_hours': None}

Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'FTC', 'reason': 'FTC has authority over unfair or deceptive behavioral advertising practices and data broker use under FTC Act Section 5.', 'complaint_url': 'https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/'}, {'agency': 'State_AG', 'reason': 'California CPPA and state AGs in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, and Oregon have jurisdiction to enforce opt-out rights for targeted advertising under their respective state privacy laws.', 'complaint_url': 'https://www.naag.org/find-my-ag/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Interest-Based Advertising and Behavioral Profiling clause as medium severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Interest-Based Advertising and Behavioral Profiling — Microsoft

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What it is

Microsoft uses your browsing history, search queries, ad interactions, and data from third-party advertising partners to show you targeted ads across its products, with the ability to opt out through your account settings.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Consumers should be aware that Microsoft combines data from their use of Bing, MSN, Xbox, and other services with third-party advertising partner data to serve interest-based ads — opting out through account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings stops personalized ad targeting but does not stop all data collection.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.

Opt Out of Arbitration

Go to account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings and toggle off interest-based advertising. This stops Microsoft from using your behavioral data for personalized ad targeting across Microsoft services.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Interest-Based Advertising and Behavioral Profiling and similar clauses.

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Microsoft combines your first-party behavioral data with third-party data sources to build advertising profiles about you, which means data from your Microsoft account activity is merged with outside data brokers' information to target you with ads.

View original clause language

Microsoft uses the data we collect to provide you with rich, interactive experiences. In particular, we use data to: provide and improve our products; personalize your experiences; make recommendations and display advertising. For advertising, we use data collected through our advertising services including your interactions with ads, inferences about your interests, and data from advertising partners and other third-party data sources to show you interest-based advertising. You can opt out of interest-based advertising through your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates GDPR Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests for advertising) and Art. 21 (right to object to processing based on legitimate interests); CCPA/CPRA §§1798.120 and 1798.121 (right to opt out of sale and sharing of personal information and sensitive personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising); FTC Act Section 5 (unfair or deceptive advertising practices); and EU ePrivacy Directive (cookie and tracking consent requirements). Enforcement by EU DPAs, California CPPA, and FTC.

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Applicable agencies

FTC

FTC has authority over unfair or deceptive behavioral advertising practices and data broker use under FTC Act Section 5.
File a complaint →
State AG

California CPPA and state AGs in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, and Oregon have jurisdiction to enforce opt-out rights for targeted advertising under their respective state privacy laws.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)

Entity

Microsoft

Document last updated

March 5, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 28, 2026

Last verified

April 28, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-003852

Document ID

CA-D-00001

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

9e697464d17b7148c787f07099c60e30370abb2b13a7f2a910f607e31ec13158

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Microsoft | Document: Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) | Record: CA-P-003852
Captured: 2026-04-28 08:11:57 UTC | SHA-256: 9e697464d17b7148…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/microsoft/microsoft-privacy-statement-legacy/interest-based-advertising-and-behavioral-profiling/
Accessed: April 29, 2026

Classification

Severity

Medium

Interest-Based Advertising and Behavioral Profiling