The statement provides opt-out mechanisms for personalized advertising and third-party data sharing for ads, and commits to responding to the Global Privacy Control browser signal in certain jurisdictions by disabling third-party ad data sharing; account-based opt-outs apply across devices, while cookie-based opt-outs for signed-out users expire after five years or when cookies are deleted.
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
This provision establishes operationally distinct opt-out pathways for personalized advertising and third-party data sharing, with the GPC signal response commitment applying only in certain jurisdictions; the cookie-based opt-out mechanism for signed-out users is subject to expiration upon cookie deletion, requiring users to re-opt-out.
The updated privacy statement removes the previous detailed list of third-party sources from which Microsoft obtains personal data, including data brokers, public social media posts, location service providers, co-branded partners, and developers. Under the revised language, Microsoft describes obtaining data from 'Microsoft affiliates, subsidiaries, and third parties' without specifying the categories or types of third parties as explicitly as before. The company states it has reorganized the document for greater clarity and accessibility, but the operational effect is that users receive less specific disclosure about where their data originates from outside Microsoft.
View change record →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 →⚠ Personalized advertising and third-party data sharing for ad purposes will proceed under the terms as written if no opt-out action is taken
⚠ Cookie-based opt-outs for signed-out users will be lost upon cookie deletion, requiring users to re-opt-out
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Personalized Advertising Opt-Out and GPC Signal Response and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"To opt out of receiving personalized advertising from Microsoft (including Xandr) visit our Personalized ads and offers page. You can also see our third party ad partners and opt out of data sharing for personalized ads at our Third-party ad settings page. Microsoft receives and responds to the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser opt-out signal in certain jurisdictions. Microsoft will turn off sharing your data with third parties for personalized ads and turn off the 'Share my data with third parties for personalized ads' toggle if we receive a GPC signal from you when you visit our sites.Excerpt from Microsoft's Privacy Statement (Legacy)
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages CCPA's opt-out of sale or sharing rights for cross-context behavioral advertising, California's GPC compliance requirements, and the Colorado, Connecticut, and other U.S.
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This provision establishes operationally distinct opt-out pathways for personalized advertising and third-party data sharing, with the GPC signal response commitment applying only in certain jurisdictions; the cookie-based opt-out mechanism for signed-out users is subject to expiration upon cookie deletion, requiring users to re-opt-out.
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