Xbox LIVE, Games for Windows - LIVE and Xbox.com 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.
On This Page
 | Gamertags and Nicknames |
| Service Statistics |
| Anti-Cheating |
| Online Presence |
| Accessing your Information |
| Family Settings and Parental Consent |
Gamertags and Nicknames
When you create a LIVE account for use with Xbox or Games for Windows, you will be asked to create a gamertag. You may also be allowed to pick separate nicknames to use in-game. These gamertags and nicknames will be shown to other players when you are signed in to the LIVE service for use with Xbox or Games for Windows (the “Service”) and may be displayed with your game stats and presence status as displayed in-game, via Windows Live Messenger and/or on the Web. Since these names may be publicly displayed, you should not use your personal information when creating them. You may also have the opportunity to add attachments such as photos, graphics, text or audio to your stats information. If you do this, those attachments will be able to be viewed or heard by other users of the service.
Service Statistics
We may collect information about your usage of the Service. This information can include such activities as: times you sign into and sign-off from the Service; games that you have played on the Service; content you purchase on the Service and game score statistics. If you use an Xbox 360 console that includes a storage device (hard drive or memory unit), and if you play offline or have never signed into the Service, usage data will be stored on the storage device of your Xbox console and sent to Microsoft the next time you sign into the Service. When your Xbox is connected to the Internet, Microsoft is able to identify which Xbox console and which version of the Xbox Dashboard you are currently using. In addition, when accessing the Service via a personal computer, Microsoft will collect information about the LIVE software version you are using. This information is used specifically for the purpose of alerting Microsoft to provide you with appropriate auto-updates and to protect the security of the Service.
Anti-Cheating
In order to create a fair gaming experience for all users by detecting cheating, Microsoft will periodically collect the following information about your computer when you sign on to the Service via a personal computer for Games for Windows: your IP address, operating system and LIVE software version and other non-personally identifiable operating system and driver state information. In addition, Microsoft may also collect information about other software running on your computer that, based on Microsoft’s analysis, is suspected to be software used for cheating and cheat reports generated by the LIVE software consisting of identification of suspected cheating software, your LIVE-enabled game software’s product key, network performance data associated with your use of the Service and between you and other users of LIVE-enabled games and crash information about the LIVE software. Microsoft will use this information to protect the security of the Service and may take enforcement action against your LIVE account; however, we will not use this information in any way which disables any other software running on your computer.
Online Presence
If you are a subscriber of the Service, your gamertag, nicknames and statistics such as high scores will be visible to other subscribers through the Service, via Windows Live Messenger and on the Xbox.com Web site. Other data such as your gamer picture, motto, country, additional statistics, such as the games you play, and your online presence, may be available to other subscribers; however, you can opt-out of sharing this data or limit it to those on your friends list. If you use Xbox 360 or your personal computer, your gamertag will be automatically linked with your authentication network credentials so that when you sign into Xbox.com, Bungie.net, or other related gaming sites, your experience will be personalised and you will have access to additional features. If you use the original Xbox, you will have the opportunity to manually link your gamertag to your authentication network credentials in the My Xbox section of the Web site. The linkage between your gamertag and Windows LIVE ID may be also shared with 3rd party game sites in order for those sites to provide you with a personalised experience when you sign in.
Accessing your Information
Whether you access the Service from an Xbox console or via your personal computer, you can view or edit your personal information, or change your contact and data sharing preferences, at any time on the My Xbox page on Xbox.com. You may also update your information by selecting Privacy Settings under Edit Gamer Profile for an Xbox 360 or selecting the Info Sharing option in Account Management for the Original Xbox LIVE Dashboard. You can cancel your account by contacting Customer Support. To find contact information for Customer Support, please visit http://www.xbox.com/support/contact.
Family Settings and Parental Consent
If you have children that use the Service, you can choose to set up child accounts during account creation using the Family Settings features. Children's usage information, such as games played, download history and friends list, may be made available to the owner of the parent account associated with the child. Owners of the associated parent accounts can use the default settings for child accounts or can customise the level of restrictions for each child account.
Children under the age of 13 cannot create an account for the Service without parental consent. Account creation, which enables the use of the Service and certain Xbox.com features, will require the owner of the associated parent account to consent to the collection of information about the child. This will involve the collection and verification of a credit card number in order to help determine that the owner of that parent account is an adult. Under Family Settings in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard or via Xbox.com for the personal computer, parents can change or revoke the consent choices previously made and review, edit or request the deletion of their children's personal information. We will not knowingly ask children under the age of 13 to provide more information than is reasonably necessary to provide our services. If we change this privacy statement in a way that expands the collection, use or disclosure of a child's personal information for which the parent has previously consented, the parent will be notified and we will obtain the parent's additional consent prior to implementing the change with respect to that child.