Microsoft beefs up privacy protections
Expanding on its ongoing work to help protect customer privacy, Microsoft announced an enhanced set of privacy principles for Live Search and online advertising data collection, use and protection. The principles outline new, enhanced steps to help protect the privacy of Microsoft Windows Live users, including making search query data anonymous after 18 months by permanently removing cookie IDs, the entire IP address and other identifiers from search terms.
Microsoft will also work to give customers more control over what information it uses to personalize their online search experience.
In connection with its efforts to support a common industry approach to privacy issues, Microsoft also announced that it will join the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) later this year when it begins to offer third-party ad serving broadly.
“We have been thinking deeply about privacy related to search and online advertising and believe it is critical to evolve our privacy principles,” said Peter Cullen, chief privacy strategist at Microsoft.
“We believe our enhanced principles should be part of the industry dialogue on this issue and that keeping these issues as simple as possible for consumers is the best approach. For instance, on search data, anonymous should mean anonymous.”
Building Upon and Evolving Long-Term Privacy Practices and Efforts
In a press release Micorosft said that ‘for several years, Microsoft has adhered to globally recognized privacy practices of notice, choice, access, security, enforcement, onward transfer and data integrity. Today, customers and people in the privacy community have an increasing interest in the privacy implications of online advertising, behavioral targeting and the personalization of online services. The company is updating its current privacy policies to take these considerations into account.’
As part of its Trustworthy Computing efforts, Microsoft has maintained a strong commitment to helping protect the security and privacy of its customers.
The enhanced privacy principles build upon the company’s work over the last several years to advocate for comprehensive federal privacy legislation in the United States and more consistent public policy worldwide to help protect consumers, provide customers with guidance and technology to help provide for a safer online experience, and build privacy into the company’s software development process.
Last October, based on interest from customers, partners, educators, advocates and regulators, Microsoft publicly released its Privacy Guidelines for Developing Software Products and Services. The public guidelines draw from the company’s experience incorporating privacy into the development process and reflect customer expectations and global privacy laws.
“We are entering a new age of innovative, competitive solutions to online privacy issues,” said Ari Schwartz, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
“By playing an active role in developing such approaches, and embracing a call for comprehensive federal privacy legislation, Microsoft is helping to lead the way.”
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