Official documentation

How does Microsoft protect my privacy while improving its speech recognition technology?

Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.

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Read on October 16, 2026

What it is: Microsoft's support article on voice clips: what they are, that contributing them is optional, how they are de-identified, who can review them, and how long contributed clips are kept. It is the page that the Windows speech privacy article links to for its voice clip rules.
How much weight it carries: First-party and the page Microsoft links from its Windows speech privacy article. It is undated in the copy we read, and it describes a change made on October 30, 2020, so Microsoft may have updated the terms since. It describes policy, not the technical behavior of any one app.

Facts taken from this source

Microsoft says it stopped logging voice data for product improvement on October 30, 2020.
“we stopped logging any voice data for product improvements beginning on October 30, 2020” (What are voice clips? (section on the policy change))
Microsoft says it may keep a voice clip it has sampled for longer than two years, so it can keep training its speech recognition models.
“we may keep it for longer than two years so that we can continue to train and improve our speech recognition models” (Where are my voice clips stored, and for how long?)
Microsoft says its automated software removes the association between a contributed voice clip and your Microsoft account or device identifiers.
“Our automated software takes steps to de-identify your voice clips. This means we remove any association to your Microsoft account or any device identifiers that could be traced back to you.” (What does Microsoft do to help protect my privacy?)
Microsoft says it keeps voice clips that people contribute for sampling and listening for up to two years.
“We keep voice clips that have been contributed to be sampled and listened to for up to two years” (Where are my voice clips stored, and for how long?)
Microsoft warns that other sounds audible when a voice clip is recorded may be recorded too.
“if other sounds are audible when a voice clip is recorded, those sounds might be recorded as well” (Who has access to my voice clips?)
Microsoft says its employees and vendors working on its behalf can review contributed voice clips to build and improve speech recognition.
“Microsoft employees and vendors working on behalf of Microsoft will be able to review your voice clips in order to build and improve our speech recognition technologies” (Who has access to my voice clips?)

Pages that rest on this source

Official documentation

How does Microsoft protect my privacy while improving its speech recognition technology?

Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.

Read the original

Read on October 16, 2026

What it is: Microsoft's support article on voice clips: what they are, that contributing them is optional, how they are de-identified, who can review them, and how long contributed clips are kept. It is the page that the Windows speech privacy article links to for its voice clip rules.
How much weight it carries: First-party and the page Microsoft links from its Windows speech privacy article. It is undated in the copy we read, and it describes a change made on October 30, 2020, so Microsoft may have updated the terms since. It describes policy, not the technical behavior of any one app.

Facts taken from this source

Microsoft says it stopped logging voice data for product improvement on October 30, 2020.
“we stopped logging any voice data for product improvements beginning on October 30, 2020” (What are voice clips? (section on the policy change))
Microsoft says it may keep a voice clip it has sampled for longer than two years, so it can keep training its speech recognition models.
“we may keep it for longer than two years so that we can continue to train and improve our speech recognition models” (Where are my voice clips stored, and for how long?)
Microsoft says its automated software removes the association between a contributed voice clip and your Microsoft account or device identifiers.
“Our automated software takes steps to de-identify your voice clips. This means we remove any association to your Microsoft account or any device identifiers that could be traced back to you.” (What does Microsoft do to help protect my privacy?)
Microsoft says it keeps voice clips that people contribute for sampling and listening for up to two years.
“We keep voice clips that have been contributed to be sampled and listened to for up to two years” (Where are my voice clips stored, and for how long?)
Microsoft warns that other sounds audible when a voice clip is recorded may be recorded too.
“if other sounds are audible when a voice clip is recorded, those sounds might be recorded as well” (Who has access to my voice clips?)
Microsoft says its employees and vendors working on its behalf can review contributed voice clips to build and improve speech recognition.
“Microsoft employees and vendors working on behalf of Microsoft will be able to review your voice clips in order to build and improve our speech recognition technologies” (Who has access to my voice clips?)