Microsoft’s Services Agreement updated, focuses on privacy, transparency, and simplicity

Microsoft is rolling out a change to it’s Services Agreement, which is now focused on privacy, transparency, and simplicity. These new changes take affect July 31st and those of you with a Microsoft Account will receive an email about this change soon.

“Part of that is also making sure our service agreements are as easy as possible for everyone to understand. In that vein, I am sharing a few updates coming to the Microsoft Services Agreement (MSA) well in advance of when they take effect, so that the people who use some of our most popular services, including OneDrive, Outlook.com, Bing and MSN.com, know what to anticipate and understand what the updates mean,” Microsoft’s Ryan Gavin, General Manager of Search, Cloud and Content stated in an official blog post.

The Services Agreement will now explicitly state that Microsoft does not use consumer documents, photos, or personal files for targeted advertising. The same rule applies to what is said via email, chat, video calls, or voice mail. Microsoft will also offer transparency in the Services Agreement by condensing the separate Code of Conduct and Anti-Spam documents into a single list of activities that can result in a customer’s account being closed. Microsoft has also added language about parental responsibility for children using Microsoft services.

Finally, Microsoft has made the agreement simple. “We tailor our privacy statements for each product and organize content for consistency, so people can easily find it. This includes a new Windows Services Privacy Statement that covers Microsoft account, Outlook.com and OneDrive,” Microsoft explained.

An email will be delivered to those who have a Microsoft Account prior to July 31st, to give everyone a heads up on these new changes. “We hope you agree that these updates are good for our customers, and that you continue using the products we work every day to make exceptional,” Microsoft adds.

You can read more about these changes by heading over to the VIA link below.