What does Microsoft do with my contacts list?

I'm not sure where you saw the request by 'Windows Blogs' to access your profile and contacts - is it requested by an app in the Windowsphone store?

Also - generally speaking - an app can be granted access without being allowed to transmit or otherwise use the data it has access to, i.e. many apps need access to 'phone dialer', but an app cannot make phone calls without user interaction in Windows Phone.

It's my impression that many kitchen-table developers simply tick the requirement boxes in the programming tools they use until their app starts working.

Seen from the European side of the Atlantic ocean, Microsoft cannot afford leaks of user data. The German consumer protection organizations are particularly skilled and observant in the E.U., so I remain confident my data is stored safely until proven otherwise.

The alternative is to have either Google or Apple handle the data, where my choice if needed has to be Apple, at a considerable extra cost for both the hardware and the extra cloud storage space, which I have for free and sponsored by my mobile provider on OneDrive - possibly without providing any better privacy.

I urge you to escalate your privacy concerns to a local consumer organization and have them confirm if this is an issue at all, both the specific Windows 10 promotion mailing list and Windows Phone in general. There is a limit to what a vendor forum can do, which I think we have reached now?

Data collection, data brokers and Internet privacy is a theme on our Danish public service TV channel this week. It's amazing how much data is collected by tracking cookies on websites when combined with information from Facebook, Twitter and public databases. Data brokers don't need access to your profile or your contacts - they have the information already:

http://www.propublica.org/article/everything-we-know-about-what-data-brokers-know-about-you

--

Hans

Well, well, well ... I guess my questions here must seem so strange to many people familiar with the Microsoft way of doing business.  Now I understand why so many looked upon my question here as being from some jerk who doesn't know diddly squat about the real world of Microsoft.

I make that statement because I just ran into an interesting request from Windows Blogs.

<> <> <> Copy Starts <> <> <>

Windows Blogs needs your permission to:

View your profile and contact list

<> <> <> Copy Ends <> <> <>

So now I understand why so many of you folks 'In The Know' must have thought I was a weirdo from out in the boonies that doesn't know how things are done around here in this company.

Asking for use of the contact list seems sort of a common thing.

Wow, am I dumb or what?  Privacy at Microsoft?  Beginning to remind me of a common complaint I heard when I was on active duty some three or four decades ago when folks said that Military Intelligence was an oxymoron.

Privacy at Microsoft seems ...  Ah, what the heck.  Nobody will change anything anyway just because some ole' country boy posts a few rants about incidents he sees around this place.

What is it with you people trying to find out who folks are communicating with?  You're not making enough money already?  How disrespectful I'd be to my contacts if I were to allow you folks access to that list?  And how many of you members have allowed this company to do just that?  Did you ask your contacts first?

Okay, we will go off of a little technical information or Homework as you call it. The coding behind your easy to use non dos driven applications looks like this: (Not Exact Coding but an example)

==========================================================

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Text;

using System.Windows;

using System.Windows.Controls;

using System.Windows.Data;

using System.Windows.Documents;

using System.Windows.Input;

using System.Windows.Media;

using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;

using System.Windows.Navigation;

using System.Windows.Shapes;

namespace WpfPDFViewer

{

 /// <summary>

 /// Interaction logic for Window1.xaml

 /// </summary>

 public partial class Window1 : Window

{

 public Window1()

{

InitializeComponent();

 // TODO: Make sure you point to a PDF on your system:

 var uc = new UserControl1(@"C:\FoundationsOfProgramming.pdf");

 this.windowsFormsHost1.Child = uc;

}

}

==========================================================}

Now this isn't even a window of code or any of the hard coding involved, but this doesn't work, can you explain to me where the error is.

Now fast forward to a whole ecosystem of interlocking applications, we will call these apps, and we will throw into the mix not only Microsoft, but  companies like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, just to name a few. And for argument sake we will make you Microsoft. Now, I will play the roll of the non technical enthusiast, I write you "Dear Microsoft (HFM47), I just logged into my twitter app that I downloaded from the windows store, I tried to follow my friend Roger and on twitter I can see him but I cant see him on my facebook app either, when I try to message him directly I get an error 0x23FSTC, how do I Fix it" so before getting vital information because the error I just gave you is a general fault error stating contact does not exist, how do you verify the user is getting the error.

Step one, you generally rule out things that its not....

I only stated that it was the one contact and have not complained about anyone else on the list so it may be a limited issue with one user or account I am contacting.

Which spring the question... are other users going to have the same issue and if so is it due to a fault on my end or the company who supports the apps that I downloaded from the market. Maybe its not meshing with the windows integrated contacts because the users profile users the characters Demo1 or a set or characters that are in a certain sequence, so you need a database to check it against... Hold on... I am QQing about providing that information so does the bug get fixed... no because there is no data that it can be checked against because no one wants to provide contacts with similar names that may be experiencing the issue. Or you now have that data and it just happens to be that one user.

Is the issue that the user changed a name and the software did not pull the updated information, again, that would require specific content being who I was trying to contact. <-- again being from my contact list.

So I hope it was broken down far enough to why the data is needed. They aren't farming out your data from within the application, they aren't the competing companies whom do. Now as for the sign up that I believe this originally started with, that is to notify you of updates because while Microsoft and some partnering companies are working together to make a PC experience more user friendly by working out bugs and streamlining usage, they aren't going to collect tester information and put a team in charge of another yet non-needed process like emailing you with updates. There are mass mailing companies that work jointly with Microsoft, that do that, hence the newsletter or mailing list references that you will get when testing software. So again, if you are in it to make things better, feel free to add input and not worry about data privacy concerns because right now that is the main topic of the US and the tech paper would be the first to whistle blow if there was a concern because it would be just one more nail in the coffin of progress for a big competitor in the tech market, but so far, all I am seeing is that Microsoft has been doing what ever they can to fix their shattered image, from skipping over windows 9 to phasing out IE and finally updating the browser to something comparable to newer tech browsers.

Mr. Whittaker, I would like to make the point here, especially to you, that the various administrative processes that take place in a technical company are just as important as the technical processes themselves.

It's a little bit like the dog and the homework.

You did the shop class assignment, but the dog ate the specs sheet you were bringing to class to be graded because bringing the assignment itself was not possible.  Of course, your teacher gave you the 'F' because you didn't have the piece of paper to prove you did the homework.

So, Mr. Whittaker, while you want to jump up and down on the great merits of all that great technical feedback you and your partners are providing, I will try and see that the paperwork is done properly, if that's okay with you.

Oh yes, about dotting the i's and crossing the t's, I'd bet you get paid for whatever work you do and that requires paperwork, too.  Fits in with that other famous expression about the job ain't done 'til the paperwork's in.

Yep, you gotta have the paperwork or it all goes to pieces in the end.  Especially in this business.

And in this case the piece of "paper" that asks for our consent for this company (or a company it contracted to do the job) to do something makes no sense at all and we'd like to know why.

In fact, as you seem a little lost, Mr. Whittaker, I'll summarize the question for you:

Why does Microsoft need my friend's name and address to send me product information?