Quote:Microsoft has announced a series of changes regarding the way it collects data and informs users about the process regardless of product.
 
The company explains that the data it collects would be categorized in two different groups for “major products,” namely required or optional.
 
The required category includes data that Microsoft needs to provide users with the expected functionality of the products, including here the terms of a search query when looking for something on Bing, for example.
 
This is information that Microsoft needs to provide relevant search results, and the company explains that other data includes the IP address, type and version of the device, as well as diagnostic data that could help fix and prevent failures and crashes.
 
Microsoft says that users will be provided with controls over the collected data in some cases, but it’s important to know that this is tied to the functionality of certain products.
 
“We are working on providing additional configuration options that will give customers more control over the collection of data that’s required for certain features or functions,” it says.