Interests, including inferred interests, and media you consume are collected
Microsoft collects preferences and interests that you share (such as favorite sports teams, programming languages or cities for weather) and interests it infers from your activity, with the example of activity on sites that use Microsoft technology for ads purposes. It also collects information about the media content you access through its products, such as TV, video, music or audio, apps and games.
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Preferences and interests you share
or that we infer from your activity, such as your activity on sites that use our technology for ads purposes
Information about the media content you access through our products like TV, video, music/audio, apps, and games.
Qualifications & exceptions
Inferred interests are drawn from activity, including on third-party sites that use Microsoft technology for ads purposes.
Inference & Profiling · Company practice
Personalized features tailor your experience using your data and inferences about you
Many Microsoft products include personalized features that use automated processes to tailor your experience based on your data and on inferences drawn from your activities, interests and location. You can sync settings across devices through your Microsoft account, and many products let you turn personalized features off. The text says "many", not all, products allow turning personalization off.
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Many products include personalized features and use automated processes to tailor your experience based on your data and inferences based on your activities, interests, and location.
many products allow you to turn off personalized features
Qualifications & exceptions
Many, not all, products allow you to turn personalized features off.
Inference & Profiling · Company practice
Account and partner signals are used to apply age-based protections across your Microsoft services
Microsoft uses information associated with your Microsoft account to provide more age-appropriate experiences. That information may include what you provide (such as date of birth or account settings), information from your use of services (such as how you interact with features and content), or information from partners or verification services, such as age range signals from app stores. It uses this to apply age-appropriate protections, settings and experiences, and generally applies age-based protections across the Microsoft services connected to your account. It may share age group information with Microsoft apps and services, and with third-party apps, so they can apply safeguards, tailor experiences and comply with laws.
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We use information associated with your Microsoft account to provide more age-appropriate experiences across our services.
information from partners or verification services, such as age range signals received from app stores
we generally apply them across Microsoft services connected to your account
We may share age group information with Microsoft apps and services, as well as third-party apps, so that they can apply appropriate safeguards, tailor experiences, and comply with applicable laws and regulations.
Qualifications & exceptions
Sharing of age group information (not necessarily exact age) is stated as "may".
Age-based protections are "generally" applied across connected services.
Not stated here
The text does not say which third-party apps receive age group information.
Inference & Profiling · Company practice
Where permitted, personalized ads use data collected over time, including from advertisers and partners
Where permitted, ads can also be personalized using information about you collected over time, such as demographic data, location, search queries, interests, purchase history, favorites, usage of Microsoft products and sites, and information from advertisers and partners. Microsoft calls these personalized advertising. Its example is viewing gaming content on Xbox.com and later seeing game ads on MSN.
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Where permitted, ads can also be personalized using information about you collected over time, like demographic data, location, search queries, interests, purchase history, favorites, usage of our products and sites, and information from advertisers and partners.
viewing gaming content on
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies "where permitted" by law or your settings.
Inference & Profiling · Company practice
In some markets Copilot uses conversation history and saved memories, and may use data from Bing, Edge and MSN
For users in some markets, Copilot can use your conversation history, including any memories you save, to personalize your experience. Microsoft may also offer to personalize Copilot using your interactions with other products and services, like Bing, Edge and MSN. You can manage your memories and control personalization features through the settings in Copilot at any time.
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For users in some markets, Microsoft Copilot can use your conversation history (including any memories you save) to personalize your experience.
using your interactions with our other products and services, like Bing, Edge, and MSN
You can manage your memories and control personalization features using the settings in Microsoft Copilot at any time.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies to users in some markets.
Personalization from other products is something Microsoft "may" offer.
Not stated here
The text does not list which markets are included.
Inference & Profiling · Company practice
SwiftKey learns your writing style from the words you use and how you type, but avoids passwords and payment fields
The Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard and related cloud services process data about words you use and how you type, and Microsoft uses it to learn your writing style and provide personalized autocorrection and predictive text, plus features such as emoji predictions. Prediction technology builds a personalized language model by analyzing the words and phrases you use most often across apps and websites. Microsoft says the keyboard avoids collecting sensitive information by excluding data from certain fields like passwords or payment details.
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process data about words you use and how you type. Microsoft uses this data to learn your writing style, and to provide personalized autocorrection and predictive text that adapts to you.
SwiftKey prediction technology learns and reflects your writing style by analyzing the words and phrases you use most often across various apps and websites creating a personalized language model to optimize text predictions.
The keyboard avoids collecting sensitive information by excluding data from certain fields like passwords or payment details.
Qualifications & exceptions
Exclusion covers "certain fields like passwords or payment details", not necessarily all sensitive fields.
Inference & Profiling · User right or choice
You may choose to share Edge browsing activity to personalize Microsoft services including ads, and can stop it
You may choose to share your Edge browsing activity with Microsoft to personalize Edge and other Microsoft services such as ads, Bing, Shopping, MSN and Copilot. Browsing activity includes browse history, favorites, usage data and web content. You can stop sharing in Edge settings, and the "See ads that interest you" setting on the Microsoft privacy dashboard lets you control use of browsing activity for personalized ads.
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You may also choose to share your Microsoft Edge browsing activity with us to allow us to personalize Microsoft Edge and other Microsoft services like ads, Bing, Shopping, MSN, and Copilot.
Browsing activity includes your browse history, favorites, usage data, and web content.
You can stop sharing your Microsoft Edge browsing activity within Edge settings.
The See ads that interest you setting on the Microsoft
Qualifications & exceptions
Sharing browsing activity is your choice.
Inference & Profiling · User right or choice
If Personalized offers is on, Windows uses diagnostic and account data to show tips, ads and recommendations
If you turn on Personalized offers, Microsoft uses information about your device and how you use it, including Windows diagnostic data, in combination with your account information and data from other Microsoft products to offer personalized tips, ads and recommendations, including ads and recommendations for Microsoft and third-party products, apps and hardware. When it is on, Windows may use your required diagnostic data, and if you share optional diagnostic data, also information about how you use apps and features and additional device health information. Microsoft may also personalize offers locally on your device even when the data does not leave it. It states it does not use the content of crash dumps, speech, typing or inking input data for personalizing offers.
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If you choose to turn on Personalized offers, we will use information about your device and how you use it, including Windows diagnostic data, in combination with your account info and data collected by other Microsoft products and services to offer you personalized tips, ads, and recommendations to enhance your Windows experiences.
ads and recommendations for Microsoft and third-party products and services, features, apps, and hardware
When Personalized offers is on, Windows may use your required diagnostic data to personalize offers.
If you have decided to share optional diagnostic data, the data used to personalize offers may also include information about how you use apps and features, plus additional information about the health of your device.
We do not use the content of crash dumps, speech, typing, or inking input data for personalizing offers.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies only if you turn on Personalized offers.
Optional diagnostic data adds app and feature usage and device health information.
Inference & Profiling · User right or choice
Tailored experiences, being replaced by Personalized offers, uses Windows diagnostic data stored with identifiers
Tailored experiences is being replaced by Personalized offers in more recent versions of Windows, but may still appear if you have not installed the latest update. If you turn it on, Microsoft uses your Windows diagnostic data (required or optional, as you selected) to offer personalized tips, ads and recommendations. With required data, personalization is based on device information, settings, capabilities and performance; with optional data, also on how you use apps and features and device health. Microsoft states it does not use information about the websites you browse, crash dump content, speech, typing or inking input data for personalization from customers who selected optional data. The data is transmitted to Microsoft and stored with unique identifiers that can help recognize an individual user on an individual device.
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Tailored experiences is being replaced by Personalized offers in more recent versions of Windows.
If you choose to turn on Tailored experiences, we will use your Windows diagnostic data (Required or Optional as you have selected) to offer you personalized tips, ads, and recommendations to enhance Microsoft experiences.
we do not use information about the websites you browse, the content of crash dumps, speech, typing, or inking input data for personalization when we receive such data from customers who have selected Optional
Tailored experiences data is transmitted to Microsoft and stored with one or more unique identifiers that can help us recognize an individual user on an individual device and understand the device’s service issues and use patterns.
Tailored experiences include suggestions on how to customize and optimize Windows, as well as ads and recommendations for Microsoft and third-party products and services, features, apps, and hardware for your Windows experiences.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies only if you turn on Tailored experiences.
Data is stored with identifiers that can recognize an individual user on a device.
Inference & Profiling · User right or choice
The legacy Photos app can group faces on your device, with a three-year prompt, and turning it off removes the groupings
The Photos legacy app has a People setting that, when enabled, uses face grouping technology to organize local photos and videos by detecting faces and grouping similar ones; you can link groupings to contacts in the People app. Groupings are stored on your device for as long as you keep groupings or the related photos or videos. If you have not used the legacy app for three years, you are prompted to allow continued facial grouping. You can turn the setting off at any time, which removes facial grouping data from the app but does not delete your photos or videos. The legacy app also offers Collections, Albums and a Video Editor.
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when enabled, uses face grouping technology to organize your local photos and videos by detecting faces and grouping visually similar ones
You can associate these facial groupings with contacts from your People app.
your groupings will be stored on your device for as long as you keep groupings, or the related photos or videos themselves
If you haven’t interacted with the Photos legacy app for three years, you’ll be prompted to allow continued facial grouping.
turning it off removes facial grouping data from the app but does not delete your photos or videos
The Photos legacy app lets you organize, view, and share your photos and videos, offering features not available in the updated Photos app