Privacy and protection of your data in Microsoft Teams

Safeguard, transparency and legal protection.

Microsoft Teams enables remote working and learning. Especially now that many people across the world suddenly find themselves forced to work from home by COVID-19, Microsoft Teams offers support. This support is subject to responsible capacity management.

Teams for free

That’s why we announced on March 5 that Microsoft provides Teams for free.

Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based solution that brings benefits in functionality, reliability, and flexibility. But it can also raise questions about privacy and security; what about the control of your data, where are your data stored and how is security handled?

Microsoft values the importance to ensuring the privacy and security of your data. We use six basic principles in all of our technology, including transparency, security and legal protection. We also respect local legislation, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Important assurances

Many Microsoft products, including Teams, are intended for use by organizations, such as schools and businesses. Additional contractual commitments are applicable to these Online Services.  A summary of the most important assurances are listed below:

• Microsoft complies with all laws and regulations that apply to the provision of Online Services, including applicable laws regarding reporting a security incident and the requirements for the protection of personal data.
• Your data is used by Microsoft to deliver the service, functionality, troubleshooting, and to improve the technology. Microsoft follows strict confidentiality obligations.
• In providing the Online Services, Microsoft does not use customer data or personal data to profile users, advertise, or similar commercial purposes, or market research aimed at creating new functionality, services, products or other purposes.
• Microsoft implements and maintains comprehensive technical and organizational security measures to protect your data.
• Microsoft is certified on a wide range of internationally recognized standards and provides comprehensive audit reports and third-party statements, including ISO27001, 270017, SSAE18 SOC2, as well as privacy standards such as ISO27018 and ISO27701.

Privacy protection and information security

We believe that stronger privacy protection and information security should benefit our customers everywhere through greater transparency and accountability. Microsoft continues to work to stay in line with the evolving legal interpretations of legislation, such as GDPR and new security threats, on behalf of our customers. For example, feedback from  customers like the Dutch Ministry of Justice & Security has led to the worldwide roll-out of a number of new privacy tools in our key services and further tightening of our privacy conditions . Microsoft is currently the only major cloud provider offering such terms in both the European Economic Area (EEA) and beyond.