(Last updated: 2007-06-13)
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement explains
data collection and use practices of the MSReadiness site (the “Site”)
hosted for Microsoft by Slalom Consulting; it does not apply to other online
or offline Microsoft sites, products or services. By accessing the Site, you are
consenting to the information collection and use practices described in this privacy
statement.
Collecting Your Personal Information
We will ask you when we need information that personally identifies you or allows
us to contact you. The personal information we collect may include name, e-mail address,
and employer address.
To sign in to the Site, you will be asked to enter an e-mail address and password,
which we refer to as your Windows Live™ ID or your Microsoft Passport Network
credentials. After you create your Windows Live ID, you can use the same credentials
to sign into many different Microsoft sites and services, as well as those of select
Microsoft partners, that display the Windows Live ID or Microsoft Passport Network
logos. By signing in on one Microsoft site or service, you may be automatically
signed in when you visit other Microsoft sites and services. To learn more about
how your credential information is used when you sign into participating sites,
please read the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement at http://privacy.microsoft.com/.
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. Once you sign in, you have the option on
whether or not to allow Microsoft to contact you with issues regarding MS Readiness
or specific events.
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.
Access to Your Personal Information
Customer information is collected by Slalom Consulting, a Microsoft vendor.
It is stored at the third party hosting provider Rackspace Ltd., plus sent
back to Microsoft. You can review and edit the personal information you provided
at this Site by signing in to Windows Live™ ID and reviewing your profile
information.
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.
Cookies
We use cookies on this Site to ensure the integrity of the registration process
and to personalize the Site. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your
hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver
viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be
read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save
you time. For example, if you personalize a web page, or navigate within a site,
a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits.
This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site navigation,
and so on. When you return to the web site, the information you previously provided
can be retrieved, so you can easily use the site's features that you customized.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically
accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies
if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience
the interactive features of this or other web sites you visit.
Changes to This Privacy Statement
We may occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also revise
the "last updated" date at the top of the privacy statement. For material changes
to this privacy statement, we will notify you either by placing a prominent notice
on the home page of our web site or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage
you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we
are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Your continued use of
the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.
Contact Information
Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you believe
that Microsoft has not adhered to this privacy statement, please contact us by e-mail
at msreadiness@slalom.com or via postal mail at the address provided below,
and we will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy
the problem.
Slalom Consulting
Attn: MSReadiness Team
821 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98116