Microsoft has improved the privacy of its commercial cloud contracts. The changes will provide customers and partners with more transparency into how Microsoft processes data in the cloud. 

Microsoft will offer the new contracts to all commercial customers. Providing them with “stronger privacy protections through greater transparency and accountability should benefit our customers everywhere,” said Julie Brill, chief privacy officer at Microsoft, in a Microsoft news story. 

In anticipation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Microsoft designed its enterprise services so that it “collects and uses personal data from its enterprise services to provide the online services requested by [its] customers and for the purposes instructed by [its] customers.” This means that while Microsoft is a processor and ensures the integrity and safety of its customer data, customers own, manage and control the data.  

The OST changes will serve customers by providing further clarity how Microsoft uses data and provide further information about the firm’s commitment to GDPR-compliant handling of data. 

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