See apps and services that access your personal data stored by Microsoft

Are there third parties who have access to personal data stored in your Microsoft account? Yes! Use the privacy dashboard to see who has access and revoke permission for security reasons.

Computers, phones and tablets collect all information about our activities. Windows, web browsers, online sites and services, applications, etc. are all either tracking us or requesting that we reveal some personal information.

Controlling who has access to what information isn't easy because it's spread across multiple services. Here I will only look at one service, your Microsoft account, and if you have a Google account there are similar features to check out.

Your Microsoft account

If you have Windows 10, you almost certainly have a Microsoft account as it really doesn't work properly without one. Users of older versions of Windows will find it easier to live without a Microsoft account, but one is still useful because of services like OneDrive online storage, Outlook email, and Office Web Apps.

Your Microsoft account holds personal information, contacts, possibly email, and more.

To access your Microsoft account:

• Go to the OneDrive or Outlook websites
• Click on your picture in the top right corner
• click view account

Microsoft Privacy Dashboard

Select in your account privacy in the menu bar. For security reasons, you may be prompted to re-enter your password and then the privacy dashboard will appear.

If you're having trouble accessing it, try Edge instead of Chrome. Sometimes Google's browser doesn't work for some reason.

There are several sections where you can view and clear activity data for Cortana, searches, web browsing, movies watched, and music listened to. However, skip those for now and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Search Applications and Servicesand click on the link Apps and services that can access your data.

Revoke access permissions for apps

A list of apps that have some level of access to your Microsoft account will appear, and each one will be different. This is my list and includes apps and services I use today as well as those I used years ago that still have access.

If you're not using a service or app that has access, or if it's old and no longer exists, it's best for you to revoke permissions for privacy and security reasons. For example, I once used Ubuntu Linux a long time ago and apparently gave it permission to access my Microsoft account, although I've forgotten why. It can be seen from the date the app or service was last used and in this case it was 2013!

press the To edit Link for each item you want to view or change.

The information it can access is displayed and if you really don't need it anymore, there is one Remove these permissions button below. click it

Repeat the process with any other apps and services that you no longer use. Remove permissions and you make your Microsoft account safer and more secure.

Too many permissions?

Even if you keep items, click on them to see what they can access. Sometimes it's quite surprising and you might think they're going too far. For example, here is World of Tanks Blitz.

It can see my name, gender, picture, contacts and friends. It can get my email address and connect to apps and services through my Microsoft account.

If you don't agree, remove the permissions. However, without them, the app, game or service may not function properly. So think about this before proceeding.

What will likely happen is that you'll be prompted to grant permission again when you run the app again. It's your choice.

By: See apps and services that access your personal data stored by Microsoft