Although the furor has subsided in the months since the launch of Windows 10, PC owners still have plenty of valid concerns about how Microsoft is using the data it collects from their computers. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t done much to address those concerns, but an updated privacy policy proves the company is at least paying attention.
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This week, ZDNet’s Ed Bott discovered that the Microsoft Privacy Statement was last updated in October, without much (or any) fanfare. After comparing it to an archived version of the statement, he found some notable changes.
In general, it appears that Microsoft wants to clarify that it isn’t spying on you, no matter how many reports you’ve read that say otherwise. For example, in the ‘Content’ section under the header ‘Personal Data We Collect,’ there is an additional line that explains why Microsoft needs to see the emails you receive in Outlook:
“[If] you receive an email using Outlook.com, we need to collect the content of that email in order to deliver it to your inbox, display it to you, enable you to reply to it, and store it for you until you choose to delete it.”
In another section, Microsoft has ensured users that it “doesn’t use your individual recovery keys for any purpose,” even though it backs up the key online within your “personal” (another added term) OneDrive account.
Under the header ‘How We Use Personal Data,’ Microsoft has written up several new points, explaining that data might be used to assist customer support agents in diagnosing problems and in order to activate software and devices.
Along with all of these changes and additions, you’ll also find new sections, paragraphs and bullet points regarding Cortana, Microsoft Health service and Enterprise service, so be sure to check out ZDNet’s post for all the details.
