This static CD-based web site is representative of the year2000.msn.ca site as of October 13, 1999. |
MSN wants to help you
maintain your privacy on the Internet
The Internet is an amazing
tool. It has the power to change the way we live, and weÆre starting to see
that potential today. With only a few mouse-clicks, you can follow the news,
look up facts, buy goods and services, and communicate with others from around
the world û even people you might never have met. ItÆs important to Microsoft to help
its customers retain their privacy when they take advantage of all the
Internet has to offer.
What this means to you is,
we are committed to protecting your privacy, and developing technology that
gives you the most powerful, safe online experience that you can get
anywhere.
Privacy Principles
Because your privacy is important to us, MSN sites displaying this
privacy statement will operate by six the following six
principles. Users should additionally consult the
Frequently Asked Questions section accompanying this statement for more
information regarding the principles.
:
Principle 1.
MSN sites will explicitly ask when they need information that personally identifies you or allows them to contact you ("Personal Information"). Generally this information is requested when registering for a site, when requesting a particular service, or when entering a sweepstakes or contest. When possible, MSN sites will provide you with the means to make sure that your Personal Information is correct and current.
Principle 2.
MSN sites and their necessary service partners use your Personal Information to operate the sites and services and to inform you of new features, services, and products from Microsoft and its affiliates. Some MSN sites may also carefully select other companies to send you information about their products or services which are related to the siteÆs service but are not necessary to its operation (a ôSecondary Useö).
Principle 3.
If an MSN site intends to use Personal Information for a Secondary Use, the MSN site will provide you with instructions on how to decline this service. A list of aliases that allow you to decline this service is in the ôFrequently Asked Questionsö section accompanying this statement. You may also stop the delivery of informational or promotional mail from MSN sites by following the instructions on the mail.
Principle 4.
MSN sites that are primarily directed at children will not use Personal Information for a Secondary Use without obtaining the consent of a parent or guardian. When possible, these MSN sites will provide e-mail notice to parents that children have provided Personal Information to the site.
Principle 5.
MSN sites 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, the site or the users of MSN, and (c) act
under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of
Microsoft, MSN, the site or the public.
Principle 6.
If at any time you believe that an MSN site has not adhered to these principles, please notify MSN by e-mail at MSNPrivacy@msn.com and we will use all commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and correct the problem.
For more information about
our privacy 0tatement, see the following Frequently Asked Questions or
the FAQÆs accompanying the MSN sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
(hotlink jumps to the FAQ text below)
Do all sites on MSN follow these privacy principles?
How will users know which privacy policy statement applies to their personal information?
Does Microsoft belong to any privacy organizations?
Do all sites on MSN need Personal Information?
How do MSN sites collect the Personal Information?
What about Cookies?
How do MSN sites use Personal Information?
Does that mean MSN sites sell my Personal Information to other companies?
What if I do not want my Personal Information shared with another company?
What about companies that
partner with MSN sites to provide the products or services on a
site?
What about the privacy of
children?
Do MSN sites collect other
forms of information about its users?
How do I correct or change
Personal Information that I have given to an MSN
site?
Is my Personal Information
secure from others using the MSN site?
How else might someone
learn of my Personal Information while visiting an MSN
site?
Do all sites on MSN follow these
privacy principles?
MSN is made up of many sites, and new ones are added all the time. At this time, the MSN privacy policy statement applies to those sites which display this policy in conjunction with the privacy notice on the siteÆs Web pages. While MSN encourages other site operators on MSN to comply with these principles, users should carefully examine the privacy statements of sites appearing on or linking to or from MSN which do not display this statement. Personal Information that you choose to provide to other sites will be subject to the privacy policies of that Web site.
How will users know which privacy
policy statement applies to their Personal Information?
Pages throughout MSN display a ôPrivacy Policyö link which identifies the policy statement applying to the site. Users may click on the link at any time to read the applicable policy statement.
Does Microsoft belong to any privacy
organizations?
Microsoft has taken a leadership position on privacy, working closely with both policy and technology organizations to create standards and best practices for putting people in control of their Personal Information online. Among others, Microsoft is a member of TrustE, the Online Privacy Alliance and the P3P Working Group at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Do all sites on MSN need Personal
Information?
No, for many MSN sites it is not necessary for you to provide any information in order for them to provide their services. In other instances, the MSN site may request minimal information, such as your ZIP code, in order to personalize the site. ZIP codes allow the site to provide targeted services, such as the local news or weather, but do not provide the site with any information regarding who you are or how to contact you. Other MSN sites need more information about you in order to operate their service. For example, MSN CarPoint needs your name and other contact information in order to allow its service partners to respond to your request for more information about a particular vehicle.
How do MSN sites collect Personal
Information?
Personal Information is collected by specifically requesting it from you. Generally this occurs when you register at a site, request a service, or enter an online contest.
What about
Cookies?
Cookies are
pieces of information that a Web site transfers to your computer's hard disk
for record-keeping purposes. Cookies can make the Web more useful by storing
information about your preferences on a particular site, such as your
preferred chart settings for MSN Encarta. The use of cookies is an industry
standard, and many major Web sites use them to provide useful features for
their customers. Cookies in and of themselves do not personally identify
users, although they do identify a userÆs computer. Most browsers are initially set to
accept cookies. If you'd prefer,
you can set yours to refuse cookies. However, you may not be able to take full
advantage of a Web site if you do so. For example, the subscription services
of MSN Encarta may only be accessed if you accept
cookies.
How do MSN sites use Personal
Information?
Usually, MSN sites and their necessary service partners use your Personal Information to operate the site and to deliver their service. For example, if you are using MSN HomeAdvisor, a completed mortgage application may at your request be forwarded to potential lenders. MSN sites also use your Personal Information to inform you of other products or services available from Microsoft and its affiliates. Some MSN sites also use Personal Information to allow other companies to contact you regarding products and services that may be of interest to you (Secondary Uses). If an MSN site proposes to use Personal Information for Secondary Uses, you will be provided an opportunity to instruct the MSN site to not allow such contact.
Does that mean MSN sites sell my
Personal Information to other companies?
No, MSN does not sell customer lists. However, individual MSN sites may partner with businesses to provide special services to our customers. This type of use of Personal Information is called a ôSecondary Useö because it is not necessary to the operation of the business or site. For example, a site may offer discount coupons for services or related products. In many cases these discounts would be an added benefit to our customers.
What if I do not want my Personal
Information shared with another company?
If an MSN site proposes to make a Secondary Use of your Personal Information you will be given an opportunity to instruct the MSN site not to allow such contact. A list of aliases which allow you to decline this service follows. You may contact these aliases at anytime in order to terminate this service.
Secondary Use aliases or locations:
MSN.com: MSNPrivacy@msn.com
MSN Computing Central: MSNPrivacy@msn.com
MSN Plaza: MSNPrivacy@msn.com
MSN Underwire: MSNPrivacy@msn.com
MSN Gaming Zone: Zprivacy@msn.com
MSN Money Insider: mi-react@microsoft.com
MSN Encarta: encweb@microsoft.com
MSN Sidewalk contact@sidewalk.com
MSN Expedia Maps: exmaps@microsoft.com
MSNBC: webmaster@msnbc.com
Slate: help@slate.com
MSN HomeAdvisor: homeadv@microsoft.com
MSN CarPoint: no permitted Secondary Uses
MSN Expedia: notice is given at the member registration page
MSN Internet Access: notice is given at the member services area
MSN Investor: notice is given at the billing information page
What about companies that partner with MSN sites to provide the siteÆs products or services?
An MSN site may have several necessary service partners who assist in providing the service or product associated with the site. As part of the operations of the site, these companies may have access to your Personal Information. These companies may provide routine services, such as credit card processing, or may provide essential elements of the site. For example, MSN CarPoint must provide contact information to automotive dealers in order to respond to specific requests made by customers. Without this relationship MSN CarPoint could not provide its service to you. These uses of Personal Information are primary to the operation of the site and are not considered Secondary Uses.
What about the Privacy of children?
Safeguarding the Personal Information of children is extremely important. For those MSN sites specifically directed at children, and where users have indicated they are younger than 18, MSN sites will collect the minimum amount of Personal Information necessary to the operation of the service. These MSN sites will also send follow up mail to the userÆs e-mail address instructing them to seek parental permission for their use of the site. A childÆs Personal Information will be used for the operation of the service but it will not be used for Secondary Uses without a parentÆs permission.
There are a number of emerging standards in the area of childrenÆs privacy that will affect how we process a childÆs Personal Information in the future. Through its participation in the Online Privacy Alliance and TRUSTe, MSN is monitoring these changes and is redesigning its systems so as to comply with these new requirements.
Do MSN sites collect other forms of information about its users?
In addition to the use of Personal Information to operate MSN sites, an MSN site may also gather anonymous information, which may be used by Microsoft or shared with third parties. This is information which does not personally identify you, but which may be helpful for marketing purposes or for improving the services we offer. For example, MSN might tell its advertisers how many users visited a particular advertisement, and for how long, so they can measure whether the advertisement was effective. This information is also used to generate advertising rates. Generally this information is collected through ôtraffic dataö and may entail the use of ôCookiesö ôIP addressesö or other numeric codes used to identify a computer.
How do I correct or change Personal Information that I have given to an MSN site?
Some MSN sites operate registration pages that allow you to review and update the Personal Information you have submitted. Elsewhere, you are simply given the option of unsubscribing to the service for which you signed up. In all other cases where you need to correct Personal Information you have submitted to an MSN site, please contact the service address published by the particular MSN site.
Is my Personal Information secure from others using the MSN site?
Personal Information collected by MSN sites is stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the public. In many instances, such as in the case of credit card numbers, the Personal Information is encrypted before you conduct your transaction.
How
else might someone learn of my Personal Information while visiting an MSN
site?
In addition to directly providing information to an MSN site, you might also provide Personal Information through chat sessions, e-mail exchanges or bulletin board use made available to you on MSN. The Statement of Privacy does not cover this type of transfer of your Personal Information. You should always be careful when distributing your Personal Information in this manner.