Microsoft says Word and Excel AI data scraping was not switched to enabled by default (Updated)

Microsoft Office 2024
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Edit 11/26/2024 7:00am PT: Microsoft, via Twitter (below), has now stated that the company does not use the data to train its large language models (AI models). 



It is not a secret that Microsoft's Office has Connected Experiences which analyze content created by users. However, according to @nixCraft, an author of Cyberciti.biz, Microsoft's Connected Experiences feature automatically gathers data from Word and Excel files to train the company's AI models. This feature is turned on by default, meaning user-generated content is included in AI training unless manually deactivated. However, this deactivation is a very convoluted process. Microsoft has yet to comment on the information, so take it with a grain of salt [EDIT: as stated above, Microsoft has now said this feature does not enable AI].

This default setting allows Microsoft to use documents such as articles, novels, or other works intended for copyright or commercial purposes without explicit consent. The implications are significant for creators and businesses relying on Microsoft Office for proprietary work, as their data could become part of the company's AI development. For this reason, anyone concerned about protecting their intellectual property or sensitive information should take action immediately.

To do so, users must actively opt out by finding and disabling the feature in settings. The process requires unchecking the box 'Turn on optional connected experiences' that is enabled by default.

On a Windows PC, the steps include going to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences and unchecking the box. Seven steps to disable a critical feature that is turned on automatically seems very convoluted.

Microsoft's approach mirrors a broad trend in the tech industry, where other companies have introduced similar features to train their AI models. While all AI models are trained on something generated by humans, doing so without their consent is unethical, to put it mildly.

Microsoft has not publicly confirmed or denied that it uses content from Excel and Word documents generated by users of Microsoft Office to train its AI models. Nonetheless, there is a clause in Microsoft's Services Agreement that grants the company 'a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content.'

"To the extent necessary to provide the Services to you and others, to protect you and the Services, and to improve Microsoft products and services, you grant to Microsoft a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content, for example, to make copies of, retain, transmit, reformat, display, and distribute via communication tools Your Content on the Services," the clause reads.

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Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • Kondamin
    How is this legal?
    Anything that has to do with user data should be opt in.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Kondamin said:
    How is this legal?
    Anything that has to do with user data should be opt in.
    Unfortunately, "should be" and legality often have little to do with each other.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    Kondamin said:
    Anything that has to do with user data should be opt in.
    because there is no law stating as such. Companies will always use whatever benefits them at expense of consumer.
    While I and most others agree that anything "opt-in" should by default be off until there are laws about it it wont be.
    Reply
  • ezst036
    Typical Microsoft. They become more and more like Google with this stuff every day.

    It is probably time for more people to give LibreOffice a try and kick Microsoft to the curb.
    Reply
  • palladin9479
    Kondamin said:
    How is this legal?
    Anything that has to do with user data should be opt in.
    Because you clicked "I Agree" at some point in time, like when you installed it.

    The answer is to just use Libre Office.
    Reply
  • Neilbob
    This is the problem when software becomes particularly ubiquitous - the corporation (and it usually is a large corporation) becomes able to take advantage of the loyal customer base without suffering major repercussions. Adobe did a similar thing with the mandatory subscription, and while cheaper or free alternatives gain some popularity, it's never enough to outweigh the knobbish behaviour of the 'big name', or to overcome the 'industry standard' that has so many companies over a barrel. And then there is also Google of course. The less said the better.

    But in any case, even if nothing happens in the US to put the brakes on this new bit of unpleasantness, I'm certain many EU and maybe even Asian elements will take issue with it.

    Myself, I ditched Microsoft Office many years ago (it's hard to justify when you don't really need it any more).
    Reply
  • JRStern
    Is this a "feature" of antique versions like Office 2013?
    I don't seem to have the full path to this switch.
    Reply
  • ThatMouse
    There are government agencies where you would literally be leaking classified and CUI if this were turned on.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    ThatMouse said:
    There are government agencies where you would literally be leaking classified and CUI if this were turned on.
    And generally, those agencies have custom installs and GPO pushes to disable things like that.
    Reply
  • sadsteve
    ezst036 said:
    Typical Microsoft. They become more and more like Google with this stuff every day.

    It is probably time for more people to give LibreOffice a try and kick Microsoft to the curb.
    Yeah, I got tired of Microsoft's shenanigans years ago so Libre Office has been my goto word processor for a long time now. It works under Linux and Windows so I'm covered on my main OS (Linux) and on my Windows VM.
    Reply