Provision record
Microsoft · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) · View original document ↗

Microsoft discloses data to law enforcement in good faith

High severity High confidence Explicit document language Common · 287 of 352 platforms

Key Facts · in the document’s own words

When does Microsoft disclose personal data to law enforcement?
“We retain, access, transfer, disclose, and preserve personal data... when we have a good faith belief that it is necessary to... Comply with applicable law or respond to valid legal process, including from law enforcement...”
Version CA-V-006591, captured Sept. 11, 2026 · live source ↗
Our reading, not the document’s words
Microsoft discloses personal data to law enforcement and other parties when it has a good faith belief that disclosure is necessary to comply with applicable law or respond to valid legal process.
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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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The 'good faith belief' standard means Microsoft may disclose personal data without a court order or legal compulsion, as long as Microsoft itself judges the disclosure necessary—placing the threshold for disclosure below formal legal mandate.

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Interpretive note: The clause also lists other conditions triggering retention, access, transfer, and preservation of data (beyond law enforcement compliance) that are not captured in the canonical claim, as the primary proposition is the law enforcement disclosure standard.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Sep 10, 2026

The updated statement expands what device data Microsoft collects to explicitly include interactions with Microsoft websites and apps, moving beyond prior language that mentioned only device details, hardware, and settings. The terms now authorize Microsoft to personalize Copilot using conversation history (including saved memories) and optionally using data from other Microsoft products like Bing, Edge, and MSN. You can manage memories and control personalization features using settings within Microsoft Copilot at any time.

View change record →
Medium Jun 26, 2026

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 →
Medium Apr 19, 2026

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 →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Readers' personal data held by Microsoft may be disclosed to law enforcement or in response to legal process based on Microsoft's own good faith judgment, not solely upon a binding legal order.

How other platforms handle this

Grubhub Medium

we do not share text messaging originator opt-in data and consent with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes.

TaskRabbit Medium

We may share your contact information with another user, or their legal or other authorized representative, to resolve an investigation or dispute related to, or arising from, an interaction between you...

Instacart Medium

We operate businesses and offer services or sell product lines jointly with third-party businesses (such as co-branded credit cards) and we may share your Personal Information with companies that offer co-branded services...

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We retain, access, transfer, disclose, and preserve personal data... when we have a good faith belief that it is necessary to... Comply with applicable law or respond to valid legal process, including from law enforcement...

Excerpt from Microsoft's Privacy Statement (Legacy)

Applicable regulations

BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
DMA
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
VPPA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)
Entity
Microsoft
Tracking information
First captured by ConductAtlas
March 5, 2026
Text quoted from version
CA-V-006591, captured Sept. 11, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-016808
Document ID
CA-D-000001
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Archived bytes SHA-256 (version CA-V-006591)
026452c25b8988052a3e63ae41cac2a0ff195edf3a413aa2a16c9ce515232257
Analysis generated
July 9, 2026 17:07 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Excerpt found verbatim in version CA-V-006591 (checked Oct. 5, 2026)
Citation Record
Entity: Microsoft
Document: Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)
Record ID: CA-P-016808
Version: CA-V-006591
Captured: 2026-09-11 00:08:37 UTC
SHA-256: 026452c25b898805…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/microsoft/microsoft-privacy-statement-legacy/provision/CA-P-016808/microsoft-discloses-data-to-law-enforcement-in-good-faith/
Accessed: Oct. 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Microsoft's Microsoft discloses data to law enforcement in good faith clause do?

The 'good faith belief' standard means Microsoft may disclose personal data without a court order or legal compulsion, as long as Microsoft itself judges the disclosure necessary—placing the threshold for disclosure below formal legal mandate.

How does this clause affect you?

Readers' personal data held by Microsoft may be disclosed to law enforcement or in response to legal process based on Microsoft's own good faith judgment, not solely upon a binding legal order.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 287 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Microsoft?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft.