Microsoft Offers Users a New ‘Privacy Dashboard’

Microsoft has announced a new streamlined Services Agreement and Privacy Policy right in time for the launch of Windows 10. Specifically, the changes will take effect for most people the day after the launch of Windows 10.

A new ‘privacy dashboard’ link, included in the Security and Privacy section of Microsoft’s account admin page is a new initiative by Microsoft to bring together its service agreements and privacy policies and make it available in a simple way, in a singular document or page.

The new privacy dashboard provides users the ability to:

  • Choose what specific web applications and services can use their information
  • Opt in or out of personalized advertisements
  • Customizing their user experience on Bing search
  • Moderate marketing emails sent via Email by Microsoft.

“In an effort to further simplify the terms and policies for our customers, we’re updating the Microsoft Services Agreement and the Microsoft Privacy Statement effective Aug. 1 to reflect our latest services in a more streamlined format,” said Horacio Gutiérrez, Deputy General Counsel at Legal and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, in a blog post.

The changes, according to Microsoft were also aimed at making “straightforward terms and policies that people can easily understand.” The revamped Microsoft Services agreement starts in effect on August 1 and covers a vast majority of the tech giant’s consumer services that include Bing, Outlook.com, Xbox Live, Cortana and more.

The company noted that it has revamped and restructured their Services Agreement and Privacy Policy, reducing redundancies and curbing the legal jargon. While there are no radical changes, the biggest change is the clarity and simplification of the text and agreements in use.

New clauses in the Services Agreement that are in line and are increasingly of the norm with popular, mainstream tech companies such as Amazon, Netflix and more are also present. For instance, the new customer services agreement still contains a clause in dispute resolution wherein users are prohibited in bringing forward class action lawsuits. The agreement states that individual disputes are required to be bought forward through small claims court or arbitration.

The Privacy Statement, aided with a new facelift comes with some changes to work with new services made available in Windows 10. Services in the Windows 10 beta are already operating under the updated privacy policy, with users notified beforehand. Changes and updates in Microsoft’s privacy policy were due regardless, with the inclusion of new features such as Cortana, the company’s virtual desktop assistant that comes with Windows 10.

Microsoft’s approach to customer privacy has not changed, according to the company.