What does Microsoft do with my contacts list?

Entegy, I'm not so sure this can be classified as a run around.  I think the problem has been that those charged thus far with handling questions in this relatively new section/forum of the Microsoft empire aren't really given the proper tools to be able to go laterally to ask another section's employees to come over here and answer questions from a hardcase like me.  One must admit that I come on a little strong and with a lot of baggage dragging behind me in the way of maybe too much information dragging behind me.

And the two folks that have answered here have probably done the best they can and the only thing else they can do is go vertical up to their boss and then their boss can go lateral.  But the lateral movement, as in a request for someone with the right knowledge, hasn't happened yet.

At least, that's what I came up with between meetings today when I have had the chance to think about this place.

hpholm, your post made me realize that I had missed a rather important aspect of all this.  It might be a Microsoft page, but I realize now that it is very likely not Microsoft that wants access to my contacts, but that third-party -- another company altogether.

I am beginning to see that it won't be Microsoft that will be sending me email information about Windows 10 and Windows Insider, but another company.  Some reason I didn't pick up on that until I saw your post and that link sitting there all nice and cozy and waiting for me to click on it, which I did.  And if one searches all over that new site one won't find diddly squat about any honoring of Microsoft agreements.

I'll have to digest that a little bit more, but my gut feeling about that is Microsoft should place some information window in some catchy color that makes it clear that if we want those email notices that Microsoft was going on about on the previous page then we better be aware that we will be dealing with a non-Microsoft company and that Microsoft won't be responsible for what the third-party does with private information.

In other words, I think there is a lack of proper notification to people about what is really happening.  I think people assume all this is run by Microsoft, and I don't think it is.

I know that once in a while in the past I have seen companies state they want access to an address book or a contacts list or some such stuff and every time I immediately back out of whatever I was heading into.

I happen to believe that if I am going to allow a company access to any kind of address book I had better ask everyone in the book first.  It just seems like the right thing to do.

But I still think, at this writing, that maybe Microsoft needs to take some blame for not making it absolutely clear that if we want those email notifications we are going to be exposed to the rules of a new player and one that apparently doesn't play by the same rules as Microsoft.  That seems to be the problem in a nutshell.  --  "shell" What a strange word to pop up.  What jumps into my mind is the shell game.  We want those email notifications we are getting stuck under a new shell.

EDIT:  By the way, I was not polite and didn't thank all you folks for taking an interest in this discussion and posting your thoughts.  Very much appreciated everyone.  Thank you.

Quoting the post from HFM47 :

• Let this app access your info?

winpreview.catalysis.com

• Windows Preview needs your permission to:
• Sign in automatically

Signing in with your Microsoft account will automatically sign you in to this app.

• Access your email addresses

Windows Preview will be able to see the email addresses in your profile.

• View your profile info and contact list

Windows Preview will be able to see your profile info, including your name, gender, display picture, contacts, and friends.

The app need the user's approval to let http://catalysis.com/ access his profile and contacts, in order to run a marketing campaign for Microsoft.

The user's consent will probably overrule all Microsoft privacy statements?

--

Hans

I don't know why you're getting the run around.

Nothing happens with the contact list you store in your Microsoft account. In fact, one of my Microsoft's marketing points is that unlike Google, your Outlook.com data is not used for advertising.

Your contacts are not sold or mined for advertising. It was Hotmail, the 90s inbox for everything, including having a contact list, and now it's there so you see how it easy it is to keep your information synced across devices, and maybe you'll buy an Office 365 licence because it's so easy..., then more Microsoft software... You see where this is going?

I believe Microsoft Support can see account data when a support request is opened, however as to whether there are technical barriers here, or that is just policy, I don't know.

As far as I understand, because Microsoft will be syncing your account data, it requires your consent, mainly being contact lists which Microsoft builds single contact cards in associate with your account, kinda like hiring Microsoft, Facebook, Linkedin etc, this doesn't give Microsoft access to email- sell data, but to compile this data, hence every application such as Facebook or any non Microsoft related product ask for this access. It may be why it is taking so long for Microsoft to answer directly because if you do enough research into the working of both windows 8 and windows 10, they are designed for those use to the IPAD and Android crowd who do not really think, but want it to work, Microsoft just makes it clear what it will be accessing as in what will it pull from your local system to comprise a full address book across all services. You can easily avoid this by disabling all advanced features and protection via registry, but then you might as well be running windows XP at that point.