Last update: January 2015
Thank you for choosing to participate in a pre-release program for our next version of Windows! The purpose of the program is to enable you to provide usage data and feedback to Microsoft while trying out the pre-release software and services. Your participation is important and will provide us data we can use to better understand and engage our customers, and to improve our products and services. This privacy statement applies to the pre-release Microsoft Windows software, services and related experiences, including program websites and software that display or link to this notice (the “Program”).
The Program enables you or, if you are an organization, your end users, to purchase, subscribe to or use other products and services from Microsoft or third parties with different privacy practices. Your use of these other products and services is governed by their privacy statements and policies. For example, your use of Office apps is governed by the Office Privacy Statement at go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=507380. We strongly urge you to review their privacy statements and policies.
Microsoft collects many kinds of information in a variety of ways to operate effectively and provide you the best products, services and experiences. We may combine this data with information that is linked to your user ID, such as information associated with your Microsoft account.
The Program software and services may contain internet-enabled features and social functionality. When these features are used, they transmit certain standard computer information ("Standard Computer Data") to Microsoft. Standard Computer Data may include information about your computing environment such as IP address, network status, operating conditions and information about devices and software used with the Program software and services.
The Program software and services contain internet-enabled features that transmit performance or usage information to Microsoft (“Experience Data”). Experience Data may include information about performance and reliability, such as how quickly the software and services respond when you click a button or how many problems you experience with a given software or service. Experience Data may also include information about your use of software and services, such as the features used most often or how frequently you launch programs. Experience Data may be collected through the use of cookies or similar technologies; learn more below.
Microsoft automatically collects data from the devices you use with the Program software and services. This may include information about all aspects of the Program software and services, such as device performance, user interface interactions, and feature and application usage, including third party applications.
Microsoft takes measures designed to prevent the collection of email addresses and passwords, and numeric sequences such as phone numbers and credit card numbers.
Microsoft uses data we collect from the Program software and services to operate, improve and personalize Microsoft products and services. For example, we use your voice data to improve speech recognition, we use your settings data to sync and roam your settings across devices, and we use information we learn about your interests to help make the content and ads we show you more relevant. Microsoft shares some data with our partners to improve how their products and services work with Microsoft’s products and services.
Microsoft may use your contact information (i) to communicate with you about your use of the Program software and services, and (ii) to provide you with additional information, which may be personalized, about the Program software and services, and other Microsoft and partner products and services. This contact may be by email, SMS, instant message, web chat, phone, in the user interface, or other means, and may include offers or ads.
Use of the Program software and services is at your discretion. Many features that transmit data to Microsoft are enabled automatically. You will not have the option to turn off the transmission of data for certain features in the Program software and services.
To stop the transmission of all data, you must completely uninstall the Program software and services from all of your devices. This may require you to reinstall your device’s operating system.
We will share your data with your consent, including as necessary to complete any transaction or provide any service you have requested or authorized.
We share some data collected in connection with the Program with third parties. For example, we may share data about the performance of a particular hardware or software component on your device with the manufacturer of that component to enable them to improve how their component works with Microsoft products and services.
We may share or disclose information about you with other Microsoft controlled subsidiaries and affiliates, and with vendors or agents working on our behalf. For example, companies we've hired to provide customer service support or assist in protecting and securing our systems and services may need access to personal information in order to provide those functions. In such cases, these companies must abide by our data privacy requirements and are not allowed to use the information for any other purpose. We may also disclose information about you as part of a corporate transaction such as a merger or sale of assets.
Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer systems that have limited access and are in controlled facilities. When we transmit highly confidential information (such as a credit card number or password) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
Personal information collected by Microsoft may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use and retention of data from the European Economic Area and Switzerland. To learn more about the Safe Harbor Program, and to view our certification, please visit www.export.gov/safeharbor/.
Microsoft may retain personal information for a variety of reasons, such as to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.
To access your data, please use the Web Form in the “How to Contact Us” section below.
We will occasionally update our privacy statements to reflect customer feedback and changes in our products and services. When we post changes to a statement, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of the statement. If there are material changes to the statement or in how Microsoft will use your information, we will notify you either by posting a notice of such changes before they take effect or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review the privacy statements for the products and services you use to learn how Microsoft uses and protects your information.
If you have a privacy question or a question for the Chief Privacy Officer of Microsoft or want to request access to your personal information, please contact us by using our web form.
To find the Microsoft subsidiary in your area, see www.microsoft.com/worldwide/.
