Microsoft Now Complying With French Data Protection Law, National DPA Says
French data protection authority CNIL said Microsoft is complying with the country's data protection law, after the DPA lodged a formal notice last year that the company excessively collected personal data, tracked users' web browsing without their consent and failed…
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to provide security and confidentiality of the collected user data. In a Thursday news release, CNIL said Microsoft's "response led [it] to consider that violations had ceased" and the company has implemented several measures to comply with the July 2016 notice, which said more than 10 million users of Windows 10 were affected. The DPA said Microsoft "has nearly reduced by half the volume of collected data within the 'basic' level of its telemetry service which is capable of identifying the system’s functional issues and solving them." Microsoft informs users about how it tracks them for customized advertising and gives them a choice of whether to activate or deactivate this service, CNIL said. The company also strengthened user authentication to access online services, the agency said. CNIL said it gave Microsoft until January to comply with the French Data Protection Act. A Microsoft spokeswoman said the company is "committed to protecting our customers’ privacy and putting them in control of their information." Microsoft appreciates the DPA's "decision and will continue to provide clear privacy choices and easy-to-use tools in Windows 10,” she said.