Zune Privacy Supplement

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.

Zune Privacy Supplement
last updated: November 2007

Account Creation and Usage

To use community features, forums, purchase content from Zune Marketplace or sign up for a Zune Pass, you must create a Zune account and sign in with a Windows Live ID. You will also be allowed to create a Zune tag or other nickname to use on the community or forums sites. Your Zune tag will be automatically linked with your Windows Live ID so that when you sign in, your experience will be personalized and you will have access to additional features.

You can access and edit your personal information, or change your Zune communication preferences, by signing into your account at Zune.net/myaccount.

Children under the age of 18 cannot create a Zune account without parental consent. Account creation will require the owner of the associated parent account to consent to the collection of information about the child. For children under the age of thirteen (13), 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. Children aged 13-17 may participate in the Zune online community and Zune forums; children under 13 may only use the Zune Marketplace to purchase content or subscribe to Zune Pass.

When the child account is set up, the associated parent account can set certain purchase and communication restrictions for the child account using Zune Family Settings. To change these settings, the parent account must sign into their account at Zune.net/myaccount and select Family\Privacy Settings.

Zune Online Community

When you create a Zune account, a Zune card and Zune user profile page in the Zune online community will be created automatically for you. During account creation, you can choose whether to display your music activity (what you’ve been listening to based on your usage history and your music favorites) on your Zune card and Zune user profile page, in order to find other people in the community with similar musical tastes. Once your account is created, you can sign into your account at Zune.net/myaccount to set additional privacy settings and review or change the choices you previously made. You can customize your Zune card by selecting an image and background, or you can upload your own pictures to use as a personal image or background.

You can also post your Zune card on other Web sites. If you choose to do so, the privacy settings that you make with respect to your Zune card may operate differently on other sites. Microsoft is not responsible for the privacy practices of any site outside the Microsoft family of Web sites, so you are encouraged to read the privacy statements of sites that you visit or post content.

Zune Forums

You can browse the Zune forums without signing in, but to post a message or reply to one, you must sign into your Zune account. Zune forums are designed to enable you to communicate with the public at large or with a group, and you should consider anything that you post to a Zune forum to be public. You also have the option of sending a “private” reply to any message, so that only that member can see your reply; note, however, that Zune forum moderators and Microsoft have access to all messages posted on Zune forums. To access any private messages sent to you, you must sign in, and click on the link marked “Private Messages”. All posts you make to Zune forums must comply with the Zune Code of Conduct, and any post that does not may be removed by the moderator. You can report abuse or violations of the Code of Conduct in a Zune forum by clicking on the “report” button and completing the web form.

Zune Software

The Zune software contains a number of features that require it to connect to the Internet, such as purchasing media through Zune Marketplace, playback of streaming media, gathering related media information for your albums or tracks, or checking for software and device software updates. When the Zune software connects to a Microsoft Web site or online service, we may collect certain standard information from your computer such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system version, Zune software version, a code that identifies the manufacturer of your computer, and your regional and language settings, along with other information needed for specific features.

In order to comply with certain licensing obligations, we collect some specific installation information when you install Zune. Information we collect during installation includes standard computer information, such as your IP address, the type of operating system, your Windows Product Identification Number (PID), browser and name and version of the software you are using, as well as how you installed this software (for example, from a CD or the Internet), and whether it was a new or upgrade installation. This information is sent to a designated vendor who tracks installations for compliance with Microsoft's licensing obligations.

General: Check for Software Updates

An update verification request contains standard computer information, as defined above. If an update is found, it will be downloaded to your computer, and you will be prompted to install it. You can choose to check for software updates for Zune once per week or once per month. You can also choose not to check for software updates; however, in some cases, a software update will be required and you will not be able to use Zune software features that connect with Zune.net or to sign into Zune Marketplace without first installing the update. If you have subscription content, you will not be able to update your content licenses until you upgrade your software. If you have a Zune device, whenever you connect the device to your computer, and launch the Zune software, it will check for device software updates for your device, and if a device software update is available, you will be prompted to install the update on your Zune device. Like Zune software, certain Zune device software updates are required, and some features may be unavailable until you update your device.

Collection: Automatically Retrieve Media Information

To enrich your experience when playing CDs or ripping CDs, Zune will automatically download and display related media information about your music, such as the album title, album art, song title, and other information, where available. When you insert a CD, Zune displays related media information that is stored in your library. If it finds none, it sends an information request to Microsoft. This request contains standard computer information and an identifier for the CD. Zune software will store the resulting information in your library for future use. This information can be displayed even when you are offline. Related media information may not be available in your local language.

To turn off this feature from the “Settings” menu, choose “Collection”. From the Collection settings page, uncheck the box marked “Automatically retrieve updated album art and media from the Internet.”

Privacy

When you navigate to the Privacy menu from “Settings”, and select “Read the Privacy Statement Online”, the software will open your default web browser and navigate to the current version of the Zune privacy statement online. You will also be able to review or change your choices regarding the Customer Experience Improvement Program and Error Reporting (described below) on this menu.

Media Sharing

If you own an Xbox 360, and turn on Zune Media Sharing, it will automatically allow any Xbox 360 that is connected to your local network to browse and play the content that is in your Zune media library. This would allow others on your local network to see your media content file names. You can turn this feature off in the Media Sharing settings page, by going to Settings -> Sharing, and uncheck “Share My Media”.

Sign In to Zune Marketplace

If you have created a Zune account, you can sign in to Zune Marketplace by clicking on the Sign In text in the upper right side of your screen. When you sign into Zune Marketplace, you are prompted to enter your Windows Live ID and password, and these are sent to Microsoft to authenticate you. Once you are signed in, you can manage your account, download podcasts, download or purchase additional content from the Marketplace, browse the Zune online community, and use other Zune features.

Usage History

Whenever you use Zune Software, it will automatically collect the media ID of all content that you play using Zune, including music, videos, and podcasts. This information will be sent to Microsoft whenever you use Zune software and have an active Internet connection and cannot be disabled. Any podcasts to which you or any other user subscribe will be automatically added to the Marketplace Podcast Catalog. If you have a Zune device, your Zune device usage history will transferred to your computer whenever you sync your device, and will then be sent to Microsoft as described above. We will use this data to enable such features as your Favorites, and your data will be aggregated with other members’ data in an anonymous format to generate ratings and statistics for Zune. You can also choose to publish your usage history on your Zune online community user profile page to help you find other members of the Zune online community with similar musical interests. If you do not wish for your usage history to be collected, do not create a Zune account. However, as noted above, you will not be able to use many Zune features without a Zune account.

Customer Experience Improvement Program

If you chose the recommended settings when you initially installed the Zune software, you will be included in the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program for Zune to improve the quality, reliability, and performance of Microsoft software and services. When you participate, we will collect additional anonymous information about your hardware configuration, software installation experience and how you use our software and services so that we can identify trends and usage patterns. We will not collect your name, address, or any other contact information. If you decide later that you don't want to continue to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program, navigate to the “Settings” menu, choose “Privacy” and uncheck the box marked “I want to help make Microsoft software and services even better by sending Zune software usage data to Microsoft.”

Microsoft Digital Rights Management and License Enforcement

Zune uses Microsoft Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology to preserve the rights of content owners who protect their music or video products in this manner. You must have a DRM license in order to play protected content. When you acquire protected content from the Zune Marketplace, you will also receive the associated license at the same time.

Software Revocation

If the security of your version of Zune software is compromised, owners of secure content may request that Microsoft revoke your software's right to copy, display, and/or play secure content. Revocation does not alter the ability of the Zune software to play unprotected content. A list of revoked software can be sent to your computer whenever you acquire content or log into the Zune Marketplace. If your version of the Zune software has been added to the revocation list, it will not be able to play secure content until you update the software to a more recent and secure version.

Device Revocation

If security problems are found with the Zune device, a content owner may ask Microsoft to revoke the ability of the devices to play protected content. If this occurs, your device will not be able to obtain new content until you upgrade the software on your device to a more secure version. However, protected content that already plays on your device will still play, as will unprotected content.

DRM Component Upgrade

Music or video owners who choose to protect their content with Microsoft DRM may also require you to upgrade the DRM components on your computer before accessing their content. When you attempt to play content that requires a DRM upgrade, Zune will notify you and ask for your consent before the DRM upgrade is downloaded. If you decline the upgrade, you will not be able to access content that requires the DRM upgrade, but you will still be able to access unprotected content and secure content that does not require the upgrade.

If you accept the upgrade, Zune will send a request to a Microsoft server containing standard computer information, troubleshooting information such as information about the last error code, information about the DRM components on your computer, such as their revision and security levels, and a unique identifier for your computer that is based on your hardware configuration. The Microsoft server uses this identifier to return a unique DRM upgrade for your computer, which will then be installed by Zune.

Updating Zune Pass Subscription Rights

If you subscribe to Zune Pass, Zune automatically scans your library for subscription files that have expired or are about to expire and then requests updated subscription rights from the Zune Marketplace rights server. If you are signed in to Zune Marketplace, you will not be prompted before Zune sends the request to the rights server. This helps you to have a seamless playback experience. When requesting subscription rights, Zune will provide the rights server with certain required information, including standard computer information, an ID for the music file, the action you have requested (such as play or sync), information about the DRM components on your computer such as their revision and security levels, a unique identifier for your computer and a unique identifier for your account.

Zune Device

Device Software Updates

When you connect your device to your PC, you may be prompted that a device software update is available for your device. You can also choose "Check for Zune Updates" on the device menu at any time. Information about the device and the software, such as the vendor ID, the product ID, the hardware ID, and the current device software version will be sent back to Microsoft. If an update is found, you will be prompted that an update is available and, if you consent, the new device software will be downloaded from Microsoft and synchronized to your device. In certain cases, an update to the device software will be required, and you will not be able to sync content to your device until you upgrade.

Wireless Feature

If you have a Zune device, it is equipped with a wireless capability that will allow you to send data wirelessly to other Zune devices near you. During the Zune device initial set-up, you will be prompted to enter your Zune tag (or a Zune device name if you don’t have Zune tag) and the wireless feature will be turned on. Whenever wireless is turned on, your Zune tag will be broadcast wirelessly to any other Zune devices within range, approximately to 100 yards.

Sending Content Wirelessly

When your wireless is turned on, you can send pictures, songs or podcasts on your device to other Zune devices within range. Your Zune tag and a unique identifier will be sent to the other device. When the other user syncs their device to their computer, your Zune tag name will appear alongside the metadata of any content that you have sent to their device. The unique identifier is also sent to the other computer, but it is not visible.

Controlling Wireless Settings

To turn off broadcast completely, you must turn off wireless. To turn off wireless, on the “Settings” page on the device’s main menu, choose the wireless menu, and change wireless to “Off”. You will not be able to use any features that require wireless, such as “Send”.

When you turn wireless on, only the “Basic” setting is turned on by default. The “Basic” setting will broadcast only your device name, and your status, either “busy” or “online”. You can choose to turn on the “Current Song” setting from the wireless menu, in which case, your device name, and what you are currently listening to will be broadcast to any device within range.