# Microsoft 365 privacy rating

Microsoft's office suite with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneDrive, available as desktop and mobile apps and in the browser. Cloud files are stored on Microsoft's servers.

## Summary

Microsoft 365 scores 44 out of 100 (grade D) on the office suites criteria. It meets 4 of 8 criteria: transparency report, tells users about requests, TLS configuration and security headers. It partly meets independent audit. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+ and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade A+.

- Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Web
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Office suites](https://privacyratings.com/office-suites/)
- Also rated: [Outlook.com](https://privacyratings.com/email-providers/outlook-com/) (Email providers), [Microsoft Outlook](https://privacyratings.com/email-clients/microsoft-outlook/) (Email clients), [Microsoft Defender for Office 365](https://privacyratings.com/spam-filters/microsoft-defender-for-office-365/) (Spam and virus filtering), [Microsoft Exchange Server](https://privacyratings.com/mail-server-software/microsoft-exchange-server/) (Mail server software), [Microsoft Edge](https://privacyratings.com/browsers/microsoft-edge/) (Browsers), [Bing](https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/bing/) (Search engines), [Microsoft Authenticator](https://privacyratings.com/two-factor-authentication/microsoft-authenticator/) (Two-factor authentication), [BitLocker](https://privacyratings.com/file-encryption/bitlocker/) (File encryption), [SDelete](https://privacyratings.com/data-erasers/sdelete/) (Data erasers), [Microsoft Defender Antivirus](https://privacyratings.com/anti-malware/microsoft-defender-antivirus/) (Anti-malware), [Microsoft Teams](https://privacyratings.com/team-chat/microsoft-teams/) (Team chat), [Microsoft Azure](https://privacyratings.com/server-hosting/microsoft-azure/) (Server hosting), [Microsoft SwiftKey](https://privacyratings.com/keyboards/microsoft-swiftkey/) (Mobile keyboards), [Windows 11](https://privacyratings.com/desktop-operating-systems/windows-11/) (Desktop operating systems), [Media Creation Tool](https://privacyratings.com/os-installers/media-creation-tool/) (OS downloaders and bootable USB tools), [PowerToys Command Palette](https://privacyratings.com/launchers/powertoys-command-palette/) (App launchers), [Windows Clipboard History](https://privacyratings.com/clipboard-managers/windows-clipboard-history/) (Clipboard managers), [SigCheck](https://privacyratings.com/windows-hardening/sigcheck/) (Windows hardening), [Hyper-V](https://privacyratings.com/virtual-machines/hyper-v/) (Virtual machines), [Microsoft OneNote](https://privacyratings.com/notes/microsoft-onenote/) (Notes), [Microsoft Visio](https://privacyratings.com/diagrams/microsoft-visio/) (Diagrams and whiteboards), [Outlook Calendar](https://privacyratings.com/calendars/outlook-calendar/) (Calendars), [Microsoft Bookings](https://privacyratings.com/scheduling/microsoft-bookings/) (Scheduling), [Microsoft To Do](https://privacyratings.com/task-management/microsoft-to-do/) (Task management), [Snipping Tool](https://privacyratings.com/screen-recording/snipping-tool/) (Screenshots and screen recording), [Xbox Game Bar](https://privacyratings.com/screen-recording/xbox-game-bar/) (Screenshots and screen recording), [Microsoft Forms](https://privacyratings.com/forms/microsoft-forms/) (Forms and surveys), [Microsoft Translator](https://privacyratings.com/translation/microsoft-translator/) (Translation), [Windows Voice Typing](https://privacyratings.com/speech-to-text/windows-voice-typing/) (Dictation and transcription), [Microsoft Copilot](https://privacyratings.com/ai-assistants/microsoft-copilot/) (AI assistants), [Microsoft OneDrive](https://privacyratings.com/cloud-storage/microsoft-onedrive/) (Encrypted cloud storage), [Visual Studio Code](https://privacyratings.com/code-editors/visual-studio-code/) (Code editors), [Windows Terminal](https://privacyratings.com/terminals/windows-terminal/) (Terminals), [.NET MAUI](https://privacyratings.com/app-frameworks/net-maui/) (Cross-platform app frameworks), [ASP.NET Core](https://privacyratings.com/dotnet-frameworks/asp-net-core/) (.NET web frameworks), [Blazor](https://privacyratings.com/dotnet-frameworks/blazor/) (.NET web frameworks), [Microsoft Clarity](https://privacyratings.com/web-analytics/microsoft-clarity/) (Website analytics)
- Grade: D (44/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | No | Closed source. |  |
| No trackers or telemetry | No | The apps always send required diagnostic data to Microsoft, which cannot be turned off. | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/privacy/required-diagnostic-data |
| No ads or data sales | No | Microsoft uses data from its services, including Copilot prompts, for advertising. Documents are not used to target ads. | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement |
| Independent audit | Partial | Office 365 has SOC 2 audits by an independent CPA firm. The reports are only available to customers through the Service Trust Portal. | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-soc-2 |
| Transparency report | Yes | Publishes counts of government requests for consumer and enterprise data twice a year. | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reports/government-requests/customer-data |
| Tells users about requests | Yes | Microsoft notifies users and enterprise customers of requests for their data unless legally prohibited. | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reports/government-requests/customer-data |
| TLS configuration | Yes | Grade A+ | https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=m365.cloud.microsoft&hideResults=on |
| Security headers | Yes | Grade A+ (110/100+) | https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/observatory/analyze?host=m365.cloud.microsoft |
| Modern web standards | Not tested yet | Not tested yet. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/office-suites/microsoft-365/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/office-suites/microsoft-365.md