"Microsoft illegally installed cookies on a school pupil's devices without consent, according to a ruling by the Austrian data protection authority (DSB). In the second ruling [PDF], won by Austria-based campaign group None of Your Business (noyb), the authority found that Microsoft acted unlawfully when it placed tracking cookies on the devices of a minor using Microsoft 365 Education. Microsoft's own documentation says these cookies analyze user behavior, collect browser data, and are used for advertising."
"The DSB has also said the US software firm should stop tracking the complainant - whose identity was not disclosed - within four weeks. Both the school and the Austrian Ministry of Education claimed they were not aware of the tracking cookies before noyb raised the complaints. Microsoft now has four weeks to comply and cease the use of tracking cookies on the devices of the minor. The Register has asked Microsoft to comment."
"In 2024, noyb asked the Austrian data protection authority to investigate Microsoft 365 Education to clarify if it breaches transparency provisions under GDPR. It said the tech giant pushed data protection obligations onto schools that use the system, and failed to comply with subjects' right to access data about them. Neither Microsoft's privacy documentation, requests for access, nor noyb's research could fully clarify what data about children is being processed by Microsoft 365 Education."
An Austrian data protection authority (DSB) ruled that Microsoft illegally installed tracking cookies on a school pupil's devices without consent and ordered the firm to stop tracking the complainant within four weeks. The cookies, used in Microsoft 365 Education, analyze user behavior, collect browser data, and support advertising. The complaint was filed by Austria-based campaign group None of Your Business (noyb), which argued that Microsoft pushed data protection responsibilities onto schools and failed to provide clear access to data about children. Both the school and the Austrian Ministry of Education said they were unaware of the tracking cookies before noyb's complaint. The timeline traces back to increased online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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