Why Dutch state agencies banned mobile Microsoft Office

At the end of July, 2019 it became known of prohibition of mobile applications of Microsoft Office in the Dutch state bodies. The reason — the software does not meet requirements of the General regulations for data protection (GDPR).

The Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands published results of the research conducted by its order by the Privacy Company organization. It showed that applications for smartphones Microsoft Office and Office Online still uncontrolledly send telemetered informations in USA that is forbidden by conditions of GDPR. However the same programs for computers from Office 365 ProPlus packet completely correspond to the European regulations.

The Dutch state agencies prohibited mobile Microsoft Office

In May, 2019 Microsoft and the Dutch government settled new confidentiality terms after a release of the next report of Privacy Company in which it was said that Microsoft Office applications of 365 ProPlus collected personal information of 300 thousand government employees using the telemetric functions and stored it in the USA. It was talked of such data as the e-mail addresses, translation requests of documents from one language on another, etc.

The company did not execute these arrangements by the end of July, 2019. With respect thereto the Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands began to recommend to state institutions not to use the specified mobile software of Microsoft because of potential risks for security and confidentiality.

Microsoft did not implement these improvements in Office Online and mobile applications of Office, said in the report of Privacy Company yet. — Microsoft did not provide also a technical alternative of failure from prohibition of use of Controller Connected Experiences technology in Office Online and mobile applications of Office.  Microsoft also does not publish any information on diagnostic data from Microsoft Office applications for mobile devices or Office Online and does not give to administrators the chance to minimize data streams from these versions of software.

According to experts, Microsoft collects diagnostic information of users without their permission, however, the amount of these data not really big. For example, the files or e-mails sent through Microsoft services are not stored along with diagnostic data. In other words, corporation interest only the telemetry used for performance improvement of software notes the Softpedia edition.

At the same time data are transferred to subsidiary company in the United States which is not obliged to guarantee preserving of a mystery of private life as Microsoft. This company specializes in forecasting of habits of users for commercial use — reported in Privacy Company.

Mobile applications and Office Online secretly collect information on activity of users

The company did not give comments about statements of Privacy Company by the end of July, 2019. Earlier it declared more than once the determination to cooperate with clients and governmental bodies in Europe that products of Microsoft fully conformed to all requirements and regulations.

Privacy Company asks users to adhere to some precautionary measures not to allow leak of important data. In particular, it is recommended to turn off several functions and services to limit data collection by Microsoft company.^[1]

The report of Privacy Company became a part of large-scale negotiations which Microsoft conducts from the EU after violation of requirements of the General regulations for data protection (GDPR). In November, 2018 it became known that through the mechanism which is built in Office the company collected large volumes of data on individual use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook without proper notice.

Notes