Privacy
Privacy
Collecting Your Personal Information
We will ask you when we need information that personally identifies you or allows
us to contact you. The Site may collect certain information about your visit, such
as the name of the Internet service provider and the Internet Protocol (IP) address
through which you access the Internet; the date and time you access the Site; the
pages that you access while at the Site and the Internet address of the Web site
from which you linked directly to our site. This information is used for the operation
and improvement of the Site.
Use of Your Personal Information
The personal information collected on this Site will be used to operate the Site
and to provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have requested
or authorized. In support of these uses, Microsoft may use personal information
to provide you with more effective customer service, to improve the Site and any
related Microsoft products or services, and to make the Site easier to use by eliminating
the need for you to repeatedly enter the same information or by customizing the
Site to your particular preference or interests. We may use your personal information
to provide you with important information about the product or service that you
are using, including critical updates and notifications. Additionally, with your
permission, we may send you information about other Microsoft products and services,
and/or share information with Microsoft partners so they may send you information
about their products and services.
Microsoft occasionally hires other companies to provide limited services on our
behalf, such as Web site hosting, packaging, mailing and delivering prizes, answering
customer questions about products and services, and sending information about our
products, special offers, and other new services. We will only provide those companies
the personal information they need to deliver the service. They are required to
maintain the confidentiality of the information and are prohibited from using that
information for any other purpose.
Microsoft may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or in the
good faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) conform to the edicts of
the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the Site; (b) protect
and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and our family of Web sites; or (c)
act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees
or agents, users of Microsoft products or services, or members of the public. Personal
information collected on the Site may be stored and processed in the United States
or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents
maintain facilities, and by using the Site, you consent to any such transfer of
information outside of your country. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework
as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and
retention of data from the European Union.
Control of Your Personal Information
Except as otherwise described in this statement, personal information you provide
on the Site will not be shared outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries
and affiliates without your permission Please be aware that this privacy statement
and any choices you make on the Site will not necessarily apply to personal information
you may have provided to Microsoft in the context of other, separately operated,
Microsoft products or services.
Security of Your Personal Information
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 servers with limited access that
are located in controlled facilities. Additionally, when we transmit sensitive personal
information (such as a credit card number) over the Internet, we protect it through
the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.