What does Microsoft do with my contacts list?

We are our own worse nightmare and also we and everybody we have contact with are nothing but a fat  revenue source, plain and simple.

I am sorry that I am doing three posts in this part of this discussion, on page 5, but I want three ideas to be each given their own weight.

This post addresses what seems to be a constant style in discussions like this, which is, it's so common and expected that you should shut up and if you don't like it give up on doing anything on the Net.

HOGWASH!

I can do a heck of a lot of things on the Net while safeguarding my private information, BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a big BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am referring here to my friends and colleagues.  Not me.

I am being told by a company hired by Microsoft to do tasks for Microsoft that that company hired by Microsoft wants to "view" a list of my friends and colleagues, but I am not being told by Microsoft what exactly that means.  I mean, as I asked above, a button right there where the request is being made that will take me to a Microsoft page that explains what this "viewing" is all about and how my friends' and colleagues' personal information will still be safe if I click "okay".

I want Microsoft to tell me this because it is Microsoft that hired that company to do whatever it is they do.

I would like to point out that it is not just me that views the harvesting of email addresses as a problem, maybe even a serious problem.

It is obvious that Microsoft is aware of the problems associated with the third-party collecting of personal information, because it is strictly forbidden for us to do it.  Please see below the specifics of this statement I am making and this is found in the Terms of Use for those that join the Windows Insider Program.

<> <> <> Exhibit 001 Starts <> <> <>

Number 11 is titled as such: "Prohibited Use of Program Services"

And I will try to be concise here by copying this:

"You agree to use the Communication Services only to post, send, and receive messages and material that are proper and, when applicable, related to the particular Communication Service. By way of example, and not as a limitation, you agree that when using the Communication Services, you will not:"

Then we can find a list of 15 sentences that explain what we must not do.  They are not numbered.  They just have a little dot in front of each listing of something we are prohibited from doing.

The twelfth listing is this one:

"· Harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including e-mail addresses."

<> <> <> Exhibit 001 Ends <> <> <>

Now that makes it very clear that Microsoft has some legal people that have considered this problem of somebody collecting email addresses and we are forbidden to do it.

But then we are informed that Microsoft has made contracts with other companies that perform certain tasks for Microsoft, but those companies are allowed to collect email addresses in a third-party manner and we, a Microsoft customer, are expected to allow this activity to take place or we are not allowed to take advantage of something as simple as posting a comment about a blog entry that is about a Microsoft product.

Once again, if I want to post a comment about something a Microsoft employee wrote I have to allow some company to harvest email addresses, even though Microsoft clearly recognizes that is such a very serious problem that it has been included in at least one of the company's Terms of Use as a prohibited activity.

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?

Let me provide the forensics for you.

We'll take this blog post and what happens when I want to post a comment.

http://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2015/03/20/how-to-make-a-windows-store-game-with-c-and-xaml-part-2/#comments

So I use my msn account to log in and maybe this very long address I copied will help.  Maybe not.

https://account.live.com/Consent/Update?ru=https://login.live.com/oauth20_authorize.srf%3flc%3d1033%26client_id%3d000000004C122003%26redirect_uri%3dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwindows.api.oneall.com%252Fsocialize%252Fcallback.html%26response_type%3dcode%26state%3d5a568249-2c81-45d6-b280-590e524304fd%26scope%3dwl.basic%2bwl.emails%2bwl.signin%26uaid%3d13304a72c4d94817a6d6c51ab648c811%26mkt%3dEN-US%26scft%3dCgJdktETaAfUwAKkVMgLQw2SiCJ2CiiK5Cf!dnFFkXL0oS0*y5LWQKLJSWoRqDRcCopfw7qDh0hRzIPztEh!fKEID0xYKj2IO7sKmzx2rc5q56LcMlEzqAF!SohgBpo4rVgikgTq9PkwoWsULPolUPs%2524&mkt=EN-US&uiflavor=web&id=279469&client_id=000000004C122003&rd=windows.api.oneall.com&scope=wl.basic+wl.emails+wl.signin

But I will now copy everything I can to help you understand where I see that somebody wants permission to do what Microsoft prohibits in at least one of their Terms of Use.

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

Let this app access your info?

windows.api.oneall.com

Windows Blogs needs your permission to:

View your profile info and contact list

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

Access your email addresses

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

Sign in automatically

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

You can change these application permissions at any time in your account settings.

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

Now the operative word up there might very well be "VIEW" -- BUT I say that this is something that is so important that Microsoft should be willing to add some indication in a place easy to find that lets us know that "viewing" does not mean harvesting.  That "viewing" does not mean storing.

Is that an unreasonable request?

Can't Microsoft add a button that allows us to see a clearly written statement from Microsoft that they will not allow a third-party contracted by Microsoft to harvest or store information we have about our friends or colleagues?

And that Microsoft knows this is an important issue is shown in my next post.