MSN Privacy Supplement

(last updated May 2008)
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Note that this page is a supplement to the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement. In order to understand the data collection and use practices relevant for a particular site or service, you should read both the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement and any applicable supplement.

This supplement contains additional information related to the following MSN sites and services:

On This Page

	MSN Money
	MSN Mobile
	MSN Direct
	MSN Premium/MSN Plus/MSN 9 Dial-Up Privacy Supplement

There is a separate supplement for MSN Messenger. Please note that some services that were formerly available under the MSN brand are now part of the Windows Live family of services. Additional information on these services may be found in the Windows Live Privacy Supplement.

MSN Money

As part of providing MSN Money customers with a central location for managing personal finances, MSN may request that you furnish personal information such as your e-mail address, name and physical address along with financial data such as account balances, account numbers, credit card balances and stock and bond portfolio information. MSN uses this information to provide you with online bill-paying services, portfolio tracking and other requested financial services.

The MSN Bill Pay service is available only to customers in the United States. It is provided by CheckFree. For information about how CheckFree handles the data it collects in connection with the MSN Bill Pay service, please read CheckFree's privacy statement.

For customers in the United States: In accordance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, annual privacy notices for MSN Money customers receiving financial services will be provided through the continual posting of the current version of this privacy statement in a clear and conspicuous manner on this Web site. By using MSN Money services, you acknowledge receipt of this statement and agree to receive subsequent privacy notices in this manner on an on-going basis.

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MSN Mobile

When you sign up for MSN Mobile for your mobile phone or pager, Microsoft collects your Windows Live ID/Passport member name (e-mail address), mobile alert preferences and other information about your mobile device necessary to provide the service. Microsoft uses this information to operate the MSN Mobile service and provide customer support to users when they need help. If you signed up for MSN Mobile at a co-branded site, your mobile carrier will also receive your personal information. You may visit the MSN Mobile Web site at any time to view or change your personal information.

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MSN Direct

MSN Direct is a specialised wireless service that delivers personalised information through the FM subcarrier radio network to enabled consumer devices. All information sent over the network is encrypted for security and each device has a unique ID to ensure that only your device can display the content intended specifically for you, such as your calendar or messages.

All devices that use MSN Direct are one-way information receiving devices. They do not broadcast any information, such as your location, that could be received by MSN or others. There are, however, two ways in which MSN Direct may collect information about your general location.

When you sign up for the service on the MSN Direct Web site, we will collect an activation code that will be displayed on your watch. This code will identify the radio tower from which your watch is receiving a signal. This information indicates which area you were in at time of sign-up.

You can also provide, at the MSN Direct website, information about where you live and where you commute. This location data allows us to send you relevant information for your area, such as traffic updates. In addition, you can also provide your travel locations so that personalised information can be temporarily re-routed to broadcast towers near you when you are away from home.

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MSN Premium/MSN Plus/MSN 9 Dial-Up Privacy Supplement

Through MSN registration, you will create your credentials (e-mail address and password) for each user, which will be used for signing into the service. When you sign into MSN Premium/MSN Plus or MSN 9 Dial-Up, you will also be signed into the Microsoft sites you visit or services you use.

MSN will automatically check the version of MSN Premium/MSN Plus or MSN 9 Dial-Up and components you are using (including your browser version) every time you sign into the service in order to optimise performance. MSN may also provide upgrades to such software that will be automatically installed on your computer.

Parental Controls

NOTE: For MSN Client versions 9.6 and above, the Parental Controls features have been removed because this functionality is now offered through Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. Click here for more information about Windows Live OneCare Family Safety.

MSN Client versions 9.5 and earlier enable the parental controls feature for MSN Premium/MSN Plus and MSN 9 Dial-Up account managers. Using these controls, account managers can choose to set up MSN Parental Controls for the people who use that account. The account manager is the person who subscribes to MSN. Because it is typically a parent or guardian enabling this feature for a child, the terms "parent" and "child" will be used to describe this feature.

E-mail notification: When a parent configures Parental Controls for a child, the child will receive an e-mail message describing the service and notifying him or her that Parental Controls have been set for the account.

Online activity report: Parents can choose to enable online reporting for a child who has Parental Controls set for his or her account. If this feature is enabled, information about how a child uses the Internet will be stored temporarily on the child's computer. This information is periodically sent to the parent by e-mail from the child's account and is then deleted from the child's computer.

Task requests: A child may request permission to complete a task that a parent has blocked. For example, the child can request access to a blocked Web site. MSN stores this automated request for a brief period, allowing the parent to review, allow or deny the request from any computer using MSN Premium/MSN Plus or MSN 9 Dial-Up.

Customer Experience Improvement Programme

The Customer Experience Improvement Programme (“CEIP”) is an optional service in which you can choose to participate. MSN performs this service to help us identify trends and usage patterns and improve Microsoft software and services. If you choose to participate, you allow Microsoft to collect information about how you use Microsoft software and services, as well as some information about your computer. For example, this may include whether you clicked on a particular button or menu item, how many e-mail messages you sent with pictures or whether the dashboard is turned on or off. The Customer Experience Improvement Programme can be turned on or off at any time in MSN Premium/MSN Plus or MSN9 Dial-Up Software on the Privacy settings page.

Please note your decision to participate in CEIP does not affect the collection of performance information about the MSN software and service that Microsoft collects as an essential part of providing you and all MSN customers a reliable, quality service. This performance information may include, for example, how many times you attempt to sign in or how long it takes on average to open the home page. None of the information collected through CEIP will be used to identify or contact you.

Critical Performance Errors

You may occasionally see a message informing you of a critical performance error in MSN Premium/MSN Plus or MSN 9 Dial-Up. This message will ask you to send data to Microsoft. If you agree, the MSN Software will automatically collect and send the data needed to help Microsoft determine what caused the error.

Before you choose to send your data to Microsoft, you have the opportunity to review that data. If you choose to send the data, in some cases your personal information may also be sent to Microsoft. If personal information is inadvertently collected, it will not be used to identify or contact you.

"Roaming"

MSN Premium/MSN Plus or MSN 9 Dial-Up give you access to some of your MSN settings and information even when you sign in to MSN on different computers ("roaming").

The purpose of storing the information on the server is to provide you with the convenience of having your settings and information available to you anywhere, even if you use multiple computers.

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