Server hosting
Microsoft Azure privacy rating
Cloud computing platform from Microsoft offering virtual machines, Kubernetes, storage, databases and AI services in regions worldwide.
Summary
Microsoft Azure scores 40 out of 100 (grade D) on the server hosting criteria. It meets 4 of 12 criteria: transparency report, tells users about requests, TLS configuration and IPv6. It partly meets independent audit, security headers and Reverse DNS. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, mail-friendly (port 25) and anonymous payment. 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 B+.
Score 40 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- No
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No
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
Microsoft sites use third-party cookies, including social media and advertising cookies and analytics providers.
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No
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
The privacy statement describes advertising cookies from partners such as LinkedIn and Xandr used to tailor ads.
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Partial
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
Only the SOC 3 summary report is public; full SOC 2 and ISO audit reports are in the Service Trust Portal for customers.
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Yes
Transparency report Weight 2 of 3
Does the provider regularly publish how many government and legal requests it receives and how it responds?
Semi-annual reports with counts of law enforcement requests for consumer and enterprise customer data.
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Yes
Tells users about requests Weight 1 of 3
Does the provider promise to tell users about requests for their data, unless a court forbids it?
Microsoft gives enterprise customers prior notice of third-party requests for their data, except where prohibited by law.
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No
Mail-friendly (port 25) Weight 1 of 3
Is outbound port 25 open by default, or opened on request?
Outbound port 25 is blocked on pay-as-you-go and most other subscription types; it is open only on Enterprise Agreement and MCA-E subscriptions.
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Partial
Reverse DNS Weight 1 of 3
Can reverse DNS (PTR) records be set for IPv4 and IPv6?
Reverse DNS is set through PowerShell or the CLI and only for public IPv4 addresses.
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Yes
IPv6 Weight 1 of 3
Is native IPv6 included?
There is no charge for public IPv6 addresses or prefixes.
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No
Anonymous payment Weight 1 of 3
Can servers be paid for with cryptocurrency or without identity checks?
Payment is by card or invoice. Cryptocurrency is not accepted.
Automated tests
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Yes
TLS configuration Weight 2 of 3
Does the website pass the Qualys SSL Labs test with a grade of A or better?
Grade A+
-
Partial
Security headers Weight 1 of 3
Does the website pass the Mozilla HTTP Observatory test with a grade of A or better?
Grade B+ (80/100+)
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Not tested yet
Modern web standards Weight 1 of 3
Does the website score 90% or higher on the Internet.nl website test?
Not tested yet.