Last updated: October 2013
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement applies to the data collected through Microsoft Developer Services (the “Services”); it does not apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, products, or services.
We will use Customer Data (as defined in your agreement(s) with Microsoft) only to provide you the Services. This may include troubleshooting aimed at preventing, detecting or repairing problems affecting the operation of the Services. It may also include the improvement of features that involve the detection of, and protection against, emerging and evolving threats to users (such as malware or spam).
You may invite others to use the Services (“Team Members”). When Team Members are invited to use the Services, they will be required to accept the applicable Service agreement(s) in order to access and use the Services. This Privacy Statement applies to all who access the Services, including Team Members. You may share information, including Customer Data, with the Team Members. Inviting Team Members is solely at your discretion. You are solely responsible for managing Team Members’ access to Customer Data.
Account Data is the contact information you provide as part of signing-up or administrating the Services. For example, Account Data includes name, address, phone, whether collected at sign-up or later during administration of the Services.
We may contact you to provide information for billing and important updates about the Services, including information about security or other technical issues regarding the Services. We may also contact you regarding a third-party inquiry we receive regarding use of the Services. You will not be able to unsubscribe from these communications, as they are considered an essential part of the Services.
With your permission, we may occasionally send you product surveys or promotional mailings to inform you of other products or services available from Microsoft and its affiliates. You can opt-out from receiving newsletters or promotional e-mail anytime by following the steps as described in the respective newsletter or promotional e-mail.
In addition to any sharing by Microsoft set forth in your agreement(s) with Microsoft, or in this Privacy Statement, Microsoft may share or disclose your information:
Please note the Services may include links to third-party services whose privacy practices may differ from those of Microsoft. Your use of such services, and any information you provide to a third party, is governed by their privacy statements. We encourage you to review these third-party privacy statements.
Microsoft is committed to helping protect the security of your information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the information you provide on computer systems with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities.
Except as otherwise specified in this privacy statement, data 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 http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/.
We may use aggregated statistical data, trends and usage information derived from your use of the Services for the purpose of providing, operating, maintaining or improving the Services as well as any Microsoft products and services.
In order to access the Services, you or your end users may be required to sign in using a Microsoft Account. Use of Microsoft Account is subject to the privacy statement set forth at http://www.microsoft.com/privacystatement/en-us/core/default.aspx?componentid=pspMicrosoftAccountModule&View=description.
We will occasionally update our privacy statements to reflect customer feedback and changes in our 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 personal 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 is protecting your information.
Microsoft welcomes your comments. If you believe that Microsoft is not adhering to its privacy or security commitments, please contact us at vspriv@microsoft.com.
Visual Studio Privacy
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Most Microsoft web sites use "cookies," which are small text files placed on a device’s hard disk by a web server. We may use cookies for:
Some of the cookies we commonly use are listed in the following chart. This list is not exhaustive, but it is intended to illustrate some of the reasons we set cookies. If you visit one of our web sites, the site may set some or all of the following cookies:
Cookie name | Description | |
MUID | Identifies unique browsers to Microsoft sites. It is used for site analytics and other operational purposes. | |
TenantId | Cookie for Storing the Tenant ID | |
SessID | Sets a unique ID identifying the user session. . It is used for site analytics and other operational purposes. | |
CC | Contains a country code as determined by reverse IP address lookup. | |
Microsoft account authentication | Authentication cookies (e.g., IntuneID, wsresult, ) used when a user signs in with an organizational account. | |
RedirectToFullSite | Cookie that stores if the user would like to view the full site instead of the mobile site |
In addition to the cookies Microsoft may set when you users visit our web sites, third parties may also set certain cookies on your hard drive when users you visit Microsoft sites. In some cases, that is because we have hired the third party to provide certain services on our behalf, such as site analytics.
Browser Controls to Block Cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to block cookies.
For example, in Internet Explorer 9, you may block cookies by taking the following steps:
Instructions for blocking cookies in other browsers are available at http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/.
Please be aware that users who choose to block cookies may not be able to sign in or use other interactive features of Microsoft sites and services that depend on cookies.
Browser Controls to Delete Cookies. If you accept cookies, you can delete them later.
For example, in Internet Explorer 9, you may delete cookies by taking the following steps:
Instructions for deleting cookies in other browsers are available at http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/.
Please be aware that if you choose to delete cookies, any settings and preferences controlled by those cookies, including advertising preferences, will be deleted and may need to be recreated.
Browser Controls for “Do Not Track” and Tracking Protection. Some newer browsers have incorporated “Do Not Track” features. Most of these features, when turned on, send a signal or preference to the web sites you visit indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. Those sites may continue to engage in activities you might view as tracking even though you have expressed this preference, depending on the sites’ privacy practices.
Internet Explorer 9 and later has a feature called Tracking Protection that helps prevent the web sites you go to from automatically sending details about your visit to third-party content providers. When you add a Tracking Protection List, Internet Explorer will block third-party content, including cookies, from any site that is listed as a site to be blocked. By limiting calls to these sites, Internet Explorer will limit the information these third-party sites can collect about you. And when you have a Tracking Protection List enabled, Internet Explorer will send a Do Not Track signal or preference to the web sites you visit. For more information about Tracking Protection Lists and how to find them, please see the Internet Explorer privacy statement or Internet Explorer Help.
Our Use of Web Beacons
Microsoft web pages may contain electronic images known as web beacons - sometimes called single-pixel gifs - that may be used for fraud detection, to help deliver cookies on our sites, let us count users who have visited those pages and deliver co-branded services. We may include web beacons in our promotional email messages or newsletters to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon.
Finally, Microsoft sites may contain web beacons from third parties to help us compile aggregated statistics. These web beacons may allow the third parties to set or read a cookie on your computer. We prohibit third parties from using web beacons on our sites to collect or access your personal information. Nevertheless, users may be able to opt out from data collection or use by these third-party analytics companies by clicking the links for each of the following analytics providers: