Microsoft Across America :
Privacy Statement
(Last updated: June 11,
2004)
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement
explains data collection and use practices of the Microsoft
Across America site (the “Site”) hosted for Microsoft by
VeriCenter; 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 (personal information) or allows us
to contact you to provide a service or carry out a transaction that you have
requested such as requesting information about Microsoft products and services,
entering a contest, ordering E-mail newsletters, joining a limited-access
premium site, signing up for an event or training, or when purchasing and/or
registering Microsoft products. The personal information we collect includes
your name, title, company or organization name, work E-mail, work phone, work or
home address, information about your job function, information about your
company, and credit card information.
The Site may collect certain anonymous 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 to
help improve the Site, analyze trends, and administer 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.
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 VeriCenter, a Microsoft vendor. It is stored
at VeriCenter, plus sent back to Microsoft. You
can review and edit the personal information and any contact preferences
provided at the Site by sending E-mail to Microsoft
Across America Privacy
at msaapriv@microsoft.com
or writing to:
Microsoft
Across America
Privacy
7000
N. State Highway 161
LC1/4221NW
Irving
,
TX 75039
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 Microsoft
Across America Privacy
at
msaapriv@microsoft.com or
via postal mail at the address provided below, and we will use commercially
reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.
Microsoft
Across America
Privacy
7000
N. State Highway 161
LC1/4221NW
Irving
,
TX 75039