Microsoft · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)

Targeted Advertising Using Personal Data

High severity
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What it is

Microsoft uses data it collects about you — including your browsing habits, search history, and inferred interests — to show you personalised advertisements across its products and partner services.

Why it matters

Your personal data is being used to influence what advertisements you see, which may affect your purchasing decisions and means your data has commercial value to Microsoft and its advertising partners.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

Use of personal data for behavioural advertising implicates GDPR's legitimate interests and consent requirements (Articles 6 and 7), CCPA's right to opt out of sale/sharing of personal information, and FTC guidelines on deceptive advertising practices. Legal teams should assess whether consent mechanisms meet the standard of freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent.

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Consumer impact

Microsoft collects extensive personal data across its products including search history, voice recordings, location data, browsing behaviour, and inferred interests, and uses this data for targeted advertising and product improvement. Users' data may be shared with affiliates, advertising partners, and other third parties, and sensitive data such as health and biometric information may also be collected in certain contexts. You can review, download, or delete your personal data by visiting Microsoft's Privacy Dashboard at account.microsoft.com/privacy.

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
    Sign in to your Microsoft account, go to Privacy Settings, and navigate to 'Ad settings' to turn off personalised advertising across Microsoft services.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC oversees unfair or deceptive practices in consumer data use for advertising, including whether opt-out mechanisms are clear and functional.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    California residents have CCPA rights to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data for advertising purposes, enforceable by the California AG.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)
Entity
Microsoft
Document last updated
March 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 15, 2026
Last verified
March 15, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-00001001
Document ID
CA-D-00001
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
45f09bce08bba70d095c6310e3c8383cc7e2ee6d93fc0795641bd50132df016b
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Microsoft | Document: Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) | Record: CA-P-00001001
Captured: 2026-03-15 11:31:06 UTC | SHA-256: 45f09bce08bba70d…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/microsoft/microsoft-privacy-statement-legacy/targeted-advertising-using-personal-data/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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