Privacy Statement

What this feature does: This feature provides a list of all malware or suspected malware that the product detected on your PC and the actions that were taken when these programs were detected. The information displayed in the History tab is for items detected for all users - not per user.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: A list of all malware or suspected malware that the product detected on your computer and the actions taken on these items are stored on your computer. These lists include the product activity for all the local users on the computer. The lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in MAPS.

Choice and control: History lists may be deleted by the local computer administrator. By default, all items are displayed for all users. To allow only the local computer administrator to view all items, in the Settings tab, select the Advanced tab and clear the option "Allow all users to view the full History results."

What this feature does: The product turns on automatic updating from Windows Update and Microsoft Update to help keep your computer current with updates to Windows and other Microsoft software. This means any software using Windows and Microsoft Update will be impacted by this change. Microsoft Update is essential to providing you with the latest malware threat definition updates for the product.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: For more information about Windows Update and Microsoft Update, see the Update Services Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?LinkID=76234.

Choice and control: Windows Update and Microsoft Update are turned on by default in order to provide you with the current software and virus signature updates. If you would like to later turn updates off, you can do so through Windows settings. To learn how, see the Update Services Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?LinkID=76234.

What this feature does: The product includes an automatic scanning feature, which scans your computer and alerts you if it detects malware. You can turn automatic scanning on or off and change the frequency and type of scans using the product's Settings tab. You can also choose which actions are automatically applied to software that the product detects during a scheduled scan. For severe/high threats, certain actions will automatically be taken by default to remove the malicious software and protect your computer from potential further infection. Once the malicious software is removed, the product may also reset some Windows settings (such as your home page and search provider). For low/medium threats, we will prompt you to take an action. To modify the actions taken in response to these threats, see the Choice and Control section below.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: A list of all malware or suspected malware that the product detected on your computer and the actions taken on these items are stored on your computer. These lists include the product activity for all the local users on the computer. The lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in MAPS.

Choice and control: While not recommended, you can turn off automatic scanning using the product's Settings tab. You can also configure the actions taken for each level of threats in the "Settings" panel of the product.

What this feature does: The product's real-time protection feature alerts you when viruses, spyware and other potentially unwanted software attempts to install itself or run on your PC. For severe/high threats, certain actions will automatically be taken by default to remove the malicious software and protect your computer from potential further infection. Once the malicious software is removed, the product may also reset some Windows settings (such as your home page and search provider). For low/medium threats, we will prompt you to take an action. To modify the actions taken in response to these threats, see the Choice and Control section below.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: A list of all malware or suspected malware that the product detected on your computer and the actions taken on these items are stored on your computer. These lists include the product activity for all the local users on the computer. The lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in MAPS.

Choice and control: While not recommended, you can turn off real-time protection using the product's Settings tab. You can also configure the actions taken for each level of threats in the "Settings" panel of the product.

What this feature does: Shell extension is a scanning tool, which lets you select specific files and/or folders and scan them using the product.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: A list of all malware or suspected malware that the product detected on your computer and the actions taken on these items are stored on your computer. These lists include the product activity for all the local users on the computer. These lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in MAPS.

Choice and control: The shell extension feature is a manual tool that you can choose to use or not.

What this feature does: The Microsoft Active Protection Service (MAPS) antimalware community is a voluntary, worldwide community that includes product users. If the product is turned on, MAPS can report malware and other forms of potentially unwanted software and errors encountered in the product to Microsoft. If a MAPS report includes details about malware or potentially unwanted software that the product may be able to remove, MAPS will download the latest signature to address it. MAPS can also find "false positives" (where something originally identified as malware turns out not to be) and fix them.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: This feature sends reports about errors, malware, and potentially unwanted software to Microsoft. These reports include information about the files or apps in question, such as file names, cryptographic hash, vendor, size, and date stamps. In addition, MAPS might collect full URLs to indicate the origin of the file, which might occasionally contain personal information such as search terms or data entered in forms. Reports might also include the actions that you applied when the product notified you that software was detected. MAPS reports include this information to help Microsoft gauge the effectiveness of the product's ability to detect and remove malware and potentially unwanted software.

If the product and MAPS are both enabled on your PC, MAPS reports will be automatically sent to Microsoft when the product:

• detects software or changes to your PC by software that hasn’t been analyzed for risks yet;

• applies actions to malware (as part of its automatic remediation) upon detection;

• completes a scheduled scan and applies actions to software that it detects, according to your settings; or

• encounters an error or other problem.

If MAPS reports new malware to Microsoft that the product can remove, new signatures will be automatically downloaded to your computer, helping to protect your machine more rapidly from potential threats.

Microsoft uses error reports to help the product operate as intended—to help protect your computer against potential threats.

You can join MAPS with a basic or an advanced membership. By default you are opted into basic membership. Basic member reports contain the information described in this section. Advanced member reports are more comprehensive and might occasionally contain personal information from, for example, file paths and partial memory dumps. These reports, along with reports from other users who are participating in MAPS, help our researchers discover new threats more rapidly. Malware definitions are then created for apps that meet the analysis criteria, and the updated definitions are made available to all users through Windows Update.

If you join MAPS with a basic or an advanced membership, Microsoft might request a sample submission report. This report contains specific files from your PC that Microsoft suspects might be potentially unwanted software. The report is used for further analysis. You can choose to have this report sent automatically to Microsoft, or you can be asked each time if you want to send this sample submission report to Microsoft.

To help protect your privacy, reports that are sent to Microsoft are encrypted.

Use of information: MAPS reports are used to improve Microsoft software and services. The reports might also be used for statistical or other testing or analytical purposes, and for generating definitions. Only Microsoft employees, contractors, partners, and vendors who have a business need to use the reports are provided access to them. MAPS does not intentionally collect personal information. To the extent that MAPS collects any personal information, Microsoft does not use the information to identify you or contact you.

Choice and control: You may choose your MAPS membership—basic or advanced—at any time by using the "Settings" tab in the product. Please note that MAPS only operates if the product has been enabled on your computer.

When the product is upgraded, Microsoft will honor your settings until you make a change.

What this feature does: The product contains functionality that may identify certain files as potentially unwanted and may request further information to make an assessment. If you turn on automatic sample submission, the product will automatically send such files without prompting you each time such an action is recommended.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: This feature sends specific files from your PC that the product suspects might be potentially unwanted software. The report is used for further analysis. These reports may include information about the files or apps in question, such as file names, cryptographic hash, vendor, size, and date stamps. Reports might also include the actions that you applied when the product notified you that software was detected.

Sample submission reports may be automatically sent to Microsoft when the product detects software or changes to your PC by software that hasn’t been analyzed for risks yet when the following are enabled:

• Automatic sample submission

• MAPS

Microsoft uses sample submission reports to help the product operate as intended—to help protect your computer against potential threats.

To help protect your privacy, reports that are sent to Microsoft are encrypted.

Use of information: Sample submission reports are used to improve Microsoft software and services. The reports might also be used for statistical or other testing or analytical purposes, and for generating definitions. Only Microsoft employees, contractors, partners, and vendors who have a business need to use the reports are provided access to them. Sample submission reports do not intentionally collect personal information. To the extent that sample submission reports collect any personal information, Microsoft does not use the information to identify you or contact you.

Choice and control: You may choose to turn on automatic sample submissions at any time by using the "Settings" tab in the product. If you do not have automatic sample submissions turned on, you may also turn it on through the dialog that appears when a sample submission is requested. Please note that automatic sample submissions only operates if the product has been enabled on your computer and you are enrolled in MAPS at a Basic or Advanced level.

When the product is upgraded, Microsoft will honor your settings until you make a change.