Windows 10: I keep getting an email saying I need to update Microsoft Tetms of Service & Privacy Policy...

sheila55_5 · Jun 30, 2025 at 7:57 PM

I keep getting a message, supposedly from Microsoft saying I must update the Microsoft Terms of Service & Policy Policy before July 1 in order to continue to access my mailbox. Is this legit? I don't like to click links. Is there another way to update?

:)

Brink · Jun 30, 2025 at 7:59 PM

Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement

What do Windows, Skype, Xbox Live and OneDrive have in common? One simpler service agreement and privacy statement from Microsoft.

In a world of more personalized computing, customers need meaningful transparency and privacy protections. And those aren’t possible unless we get the basics right. For consumer services, that starts with clear terms and policies that both respect individual privacy and don’t require a law degree to read.

In an effort to further simplify the terms and policies for our customers, we’re updating the Microsoft Services Agreement and the Microsoft Privacy Statement effective Aug. 1 to reflect our latest services in a more streamlined format. Customers will begin receiving notice of these changes today.

The Microsoft Services Agreement will now expand to cover most of Microsoft’s consumer services, including Bing, Cortana, Microsoft account, OneDrive, Outlook.com, Skype and Xbox Live. A full list of products covered by this update to our terms of use can be found here. The Privacy Statement is also being refreshed and restructured, reducing redundancies and providing a singular, straightforward resource for understanding Microsoft’s commitments for protecting individual privacy with these services, and will also cover new technologies like the forthcoming Windows 10.

We’ve approached the updated agreement and privacy statement guided by a few key principles:

Simplicity: These changes bring together a number of previously separate – and often repetitive – documents to make it easier for customers to find and understand the information. Instead of agreeing to separate terms and statements for each service, customers who use more than one Microsoft service will be able to accept once for multiple services and review one privacy statement.

Transparency: Although we’ve simplified and consolidated the terms and policies, we didn’t want to over-simplify, either. We want to give consumers meaningful information about how we collect and use personal data. Thus, the privacy statement still provides the service-level details our customers need in order to understand the privacy implications of the services they use.

Privacy: These statements reiterate what we’ve said in the past: We don’t use customer communications to serve targeted ads to customers and we are committed to putting customers in control of their information.

It is important to note that these changes do not represent a change in Microsoft’s approach to customer privacy. We are simplifying the services agreement and privacy statement because we believe that real transparency starts with straightforward terms and policies that people can clearly understand. As our services evolve, we recognize we must continue earning your trust. These changes aim to help do just that.
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Source: Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement for consumers - The Official Microsoft Blog

btarunr · Jun 30, 2025 at 7:59 PM

Microsoft Cashes in on Google One-Policy Paranoia in Newspaper Ad

Later this year, Google will adopt a single privacy-policy system for all its services. Some of Google's most popular services, as some might recall, are built from acquisitions of other equally genius start-ups as itself (eg: YouTube), many of these services were allowed to retain the essential part of their old privacy policies. The unified policy, effective March 1, 2012, allows sharing of usage statistics between services, to provide a user experience that's consistent between all its services. It doesn't sound harmful enough, yet it has generated public paranoia that it would, in some way, make Google more invasive on people's privacy than it already is, by, you know...owning YouTube?

Microsoft was quick put on an angel's robe and cash in on this paranoia. In a newspaper ad (first image below is down-scaled, the second is original), Microsoft talked about how Google's One Policy, One Google, One Experience is designed to be invasive to people's privacy, and how it allows Google to connect the dots between everything you do or say, across Google's various services. Fair enough, but what should have concluded as a PSA by Microsoft, ended up in being an advertisement for its own portfolio of services that are "better for users", as they're not as invasive as Google's.

A video detailing Google's One Policy update (by Google), follows.

Sources: The Official Microsoft Blog, The Verge

Slartybart · Jun 30, 2025 at 7:59 PM

Improving the Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement

I received the following in an eMail.

I don't think there is anything different from the previous agreements/statements, just cleaning things up for Win10. Consolidating multiple documents into one easier to understand document.

You should do your own due diligence though ... I only skimmed the documents listed at the end of this post.

As part of our effort to improve your experience across our consumer services, we’re updating the Microsoft Services Agreement and the Microsoft Privacy Statement. We want to take this opportunity to notify you about these updates.

The Microsoft Services Agreement will cover most of Microsoft’s consumer online services, including Xbox Live, Bing, MSN, Skype, OneDrive, Outlook.com and Microsoft account. You can see the full list here. The Microsoft Privacy Statement also covers most of Microsoft’s consumer products and services.

Simplicity – Many of our customers use more than one Microsoft service, and have agreed to many sets of terms and privacy policies. To make it easier to use multiple services, we’ve brought together these documents into a single agreement and a consolidated privacy statement that cover most of our consumer services.

Privacy – Our longstanding commitment to privacy has not changed. We remain committed to protecting your data, being clear about how we use it, and putting you in control. For example, we do not use the contents of your email, chat, video calls, documents, photos, or voicemail to target advertising to you. And as you’ll see when you read the Microsoft Privacy Statement, we offer a range of tools that enable you to make decisions about what data we collect. Additionally, we have launched a new privacy dashboard that makes it easier for you to make choices about how we use your data.

Transparency – We are using straightforward language so our terms of use and Microsoft Privacy Statement are easier to understand. In addition, we’ve put key privacy information all in one place, so you no longer have to cross-reference several documents to understand the big picture. While this consolidation eliminates redundancies and simplifies the structure of the information, we continue to provide service-specific details to allow you to make informed choices about how you use our services. We’ve also added some additional privacy information about new features and functionality we’ll soon roll out, like those you’ll see on Windows 10.

The updates will take effect on August 1, 2015. If you continue to use our services after August 1, 2015, you agree to the updated terms. If you do not agree, you can choose to discontinue use of the services and close your Microsoft account before August 1st. If you are an Xbox Live subscriber, you will be prompted soon to accept the terms when you log in to Xbox Live on your Xbox One, Xbox 360, or at Xbox.com. If you are a parent or guardian, you are responsible for your child or teenager’s use of Microsoft services, including purchases.

Thank you for using Microsoft services.
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More information:
Microsoft Services Agreement FAQ
Microsoft Services Agreement
Microsoft Privacy Statement

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Microsoft i need to say this.

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