Formal Complaint Letter – Microsoft Copilot+ Privacy and Local Processing

Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Misleading Claims About Copilot+ Local Processing and Data Privacy

To Microsoft Copilot+ Product Team,

I am writing to formally express my concern and disappointment regarding the misleading claims surrounding the functionality and privacy guarantees of Copilot+ on Windows devices.

As a professional working with sensitive data and multilingual technical documentation, I chose a Copilot+ certified device (ASUS ROG Flow Z13, 32 GB RAM) based on Microsoft’s public promise of secure, local AI processing. The marketing materials and product announcements clearly positioned Copilot+ as a resident assistant capable of performing tasks locally, with privacy-first architecture and on-device intelligence.

However, after extensive testing and configuration, I have discovered that:

• File reading and analysis may still involve cloud-based processing, even when Copilot is running in resident mode.

There is no transparent control or audit trail to confirm whether sensitive documents are being processed locally or sent to remote servers.

The system lacks granular privacy controls to restrict Copilot’s access to specific folders or enforce local-only execution.

Despite enabling “File Search” and “File Reading” permissions, Copilot fails to execute basic system-level commands natively (e.g., opening Control Panel), suggesting that its integration is superficial rather than truly operational.

This behavior directly contradicts the expectations set by Microsoft’s Copilot+ branding. If Copilot+ cannot guarantee local-only processing, especially when handling sensitive or confidential files, then the product’s privacy claims are not just misleading — they are potentially deceptive.

I am requesting:

A clear technical explanation of how Copilot+ handles file access and whether any content is transmitted to Microsoft servers.

A formal statement clarifying the boundaries of local vs. cloud processing on x64 Copilot+ devices.

The release of transparent controls that allow users to enforce local-only AI operations and monitor data flow.

A commitment to align marketing claims with actual technical capabilities, especially for enterprise and privacy-conscious users.

I expect a direct and official response from the Copilot+ product team. As a paying customer and technical professional, I take this matter seriously and will escalate it through appropriate channels if necessary.

Sincerely, Luca Zollino