# Microsoft Clarity privacy rating

Free behavior analytics from Microsoft that records sessions and builds heatmaps of clicks and scrolling on websites and mobile apps.

## Summary

Microsoft Clarity scores 27 out of 100 (grade F) on the website analytics criteria. It meets 3 of 11 criteria: transparency report, tells users about requests and TLS configuration. It partly meets no cookies. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit, security headers, no personal data and self-hostable. 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 D.

- Website: https://clarity.microsoft.com
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Platforms: Web
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Website analytics](https://privacyratings.com/web-analytics/)
- 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), [Microsoft 365](https://privacyratings.com/office-suites/microsoft-365/) (Office suites), [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)
- Grade: F (27/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | No | The service is closed source. Only the tracking script is published under the MIT license. |  |
| No trackers or telemetry | No | Microsoft collects usage data on its websites and uses data about users for personalized advertising. | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement |
| No ads or data sales | No | Free service from Microsoft. Clarity uses third-party cookies for purposes such as advertising, with opt-out through the Digital Advertising Alliance. | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit of Clarity is published. |  |
| Transparency report | Yes | Microsoft publishes counts of government requests for customer data twice a year. | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reports/government-requests/customer-data |
| Tells users about requests | Yes | Microsoft gives prior notice to users of its consumer services whose data is requested, except where prohibited by law or in emergencies. | 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=clarity.microsoft.com&hideResults=on |
| Security headers | No | Grade D (35/100+) | https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/observatory/analyze?host=clarity.microsoft.com |
| Modern web standards | Not tested yet | Not tested yet. |  |
| No cookies | Partial | First-party cookies store a persistent Clarity user ID by default. Without cookie consent, Clarity runs without cookies with fragmented sessions. | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq |
| No personal data | No | Records sessions tied to a persistent user ID, and third-party cookies support advertising. | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq |
| Self-hostable | No | Hosted only. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/web-analytics/microsoft-clarity/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/web-analytics/microsoft-clarity.md