Microsoft collects personal data you provide directly, data generated by how you use its products, and data obtained from third parties. The specific data collected depends on which Microsoft products you use and your privacy settings.
This analysis describes what Microsoft'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 statement describes a broad range of collected data categories including identifiers, device and configuration data, browsing and search history, location data, voice and audio recordings, and content and communications, which affects users across all Microsoft products and services.
The updated policy establishes additional grounds on which Microsoft may retain personal data. While the prior version tied retention to specific user expectations and available deletion controls, the revised language authorizes retention for 'operating our business, meeting our contractual and legal obligations, improving and developing our products and services, protecting the safety and security of our systems and customers, and resolving disputes.' This expands the stated purposes beyond transaction fulfillment and legal compliance. The updated policy directs users to product-specific documentation for retention details rather than providing explicit deletion procedures and timelines in the privacy statement itself.
View change record →The updated policy now grounds data retention in five broad business purposes: operating the business, meeting contractual and legal obligations, improving and developing products and services, protecting system and customer safety, and resolving disputes. Previously, the policy articulated specific criteria for determining retention periods, including customer expectations for retention until manual deletion, availability of automated deletion controls, and data sensitivity. The revised language removes these granular criteria and instead requires users to consult individual product documentation to understand when their specific data will be deleted. This shifts the burden of finding retention timelines from the main policy statement to separate product-specific documents.
View change record →The updated Privacy Statement removes previously stated language about additional rights available to European Economic Area users, narrowing the policy's explicit protections in that region. Simultaneously, the revised terms now explicitly authorize Microsoft to contact users via auto-dialer and prerecorded voice for marketing purposes, provided the user has consented to receive marketing communications to the phone number supplied. This establishes Microsoft's contractual permission to initiate automated marketing calls using artificial intelligence-generated voice technology where user consent to marketing contact has been given.
View change record →This new provision explicitly categorizes and explains the sources and methods of data collection, providing greater transparency about how Microsoft gathers personal information.
View full change record →Users of any Microsoft product may have identifiers, device information, usage data, location, and content data collected, with the specific categories varying by product and settings. The statement also discloses collection of data from third parties, which users may not directly observe.
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.
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"Microsoft collects 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's Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages GDPR transparency requirements including Articles 13 and 14 on notice at collection; CCPA disclosure obligations for categories of personal information collected; and COPPA for data collected from children under 13. Enforcement authorities include EU data protection authorities, the UK ICO, the FTC, and state attorneys general. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The breadth of data categories described requires comprehensive data mapping by compliance teams. The inclusion of third-party sourced data adds complexity to data lineage documentation. JURISDICTION FLAGS: GDPR requires specific legal basis identification for each processing purpose; CCPA requires disclosure of categories collected and the business purpose. Illinois BIPA may be relevant where voice or biometric data collection occurs in Illinois. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations deploying Microsoft products should assess whether the data categories described in this statement are reflected in their vendor data processing agreements and internal records of processing activities. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should maintain and update data maps reflecting the full set of categories described; assess third-party data sourcing against applicable consent and notice requirements; and review whether product-specific supplemental notices are needed.
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The statement describes a broad range of collected data categories including identifiers, device and configuration data, browsing and search history, location data, voice and audio recordings, and content and communications, which affects users across all Microsoft products and services.
Users of any Microsoft product may have identifiers, device information, usage data, location, and content data collected, with the specific categories varying by product and settings. The statement also discloses collection of data from third parties, which users may not directly observe.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 3 platforms. See the full comparison.
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