Copliot Privacy Concerns ++

Hi Isabella,

Thanks for your reply.

I already have the download services, connected services and services that analyze content turned off. I note this does mean i can't use things i previously used regularly such as icons in excel and co-authoring documents on a share drive. I've had to shift back to emailing drafts between workers. This is frustrating.

I spent several hours trying to trouble shoot with the Microsoft specialist support. They offered to sell me the classic version but advised it would still have the copilot features popping up all the time. I was also offered the $450 home office version but they advised the copilot features would still be present, I could just turn them off.

Due to health privacy law it is not legal for me to have any data shared with Microsoft, even if measures to anonymize are taken by Microsoft. The policies I read say that data is not "typically" stored. Unless data was "never" stored, these features are not legal in many professional settings. Therefore the connected experiences must remain off.

However, even when they are off, when I open my documents I am constantly offered the use of copilot. Do i want copilot to analyze my confidential emails ? NO! I do not want copilot anywhere near my emails. If i click on the icons it says they can't run due to connected experiences being turned off. This is good, but I have intentionally turned off the connected experiences they are not relevant to me.

How can i remove the prompts and icons please?

Thanks

Hello NZ User 22,

You may want to consider using LibreOffice. It is open source software and does not include AI features. It has a familiar interface and opens a large number of document types, probably more than you will ever need.

"LibreOffice is a privacy-oriented office suite that runs on your own computer and doesn’t include AI features out-of-the-box."

Above quote found at: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/01/16/localwriter-a-libreoffice-writer-extension-for-local-generative-ai/

Hi Isabella,

Me too I already have the download services, connected services and services that analyze content turned off.
I also uninstalled copilot in every possible way as advised on the web.
It doesn't work, copilot keeps popping up when I work with Word, Excel, etc...
I avoided to go to the new Outlook version that includes Copilot, but with recent MS updates whenever there is a link in a received email containing an email address to be contacted MS will prompt to the new Outlook creating software conflicts and trouble for the user.
Today I received an e-mail that included:
To continue evolving the benefits included with your subscription and ensure Microsoft customers are among the first to access powerful AI features in our apps*, we're adjusting our subscription prices.*

I'm 73 y old and don't want all the troubles ensuing from MS updating MS365 with AI features we never asked for. MS should give us a chance to opt out before updating and on top off that we are being coerced to pay more for the subscription, because if you don't you'll lose functionalities and storage on OneDrive.

Although many hrs of research on the web I have found no way to completely switch off AI Copilot.

It is totally unethical what MS did!

What if I buy Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business (including Outlook)? Can I switch off MS AI Copilot? Can I Immediately unsubscribe from MS365 and switch over to MS Office 2024. (I'm on a yearly payment for MS 365 that ends late April 2025). What's the correct procedure to switch over?

This isn't all together accurate or complete. For instance, if you turn off "optional connected experiences" you'll find that OneNote can no longer sync. And "auto save' in word is also disabled.

So this option seems like it was setup to once again force us to use copilot. Don't like copilot, well then we won't give you sync or autosave!

I agree with the OP that Microsoft is trying to ram Copilot down our throat. And I don't know anyone who actually wants it.

Dear NZ User 22,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

I understand that you have some concerns about Copilot's understanding of user data privacy when using Office. In this era of prevalent AI, I understand your concerns and rest assured that I will do my best to answer them.

Copilot accesses your data in Microsoft Graph, such as emails, chats, documents, and so on, to provide relevant suggestions and features. This data is used to generate content and recommendations that are relevant to your work.Microsoft promises not to use this data to train the underlying language model.

Only you and your authorised users have access to this data. microsoft complies with GDPR and other privacy regulations. When you use Microsoft Copilot, customer data and system-generated logs are stored and processed as part of the service. By default, data sharing is turned on, but you can change the data sharing settings during your first run experience or at any time thereafter.

Microsoft 365 Copilot builds on Microsoft's existing data security and privacy commitments and does not change them.

So you can rest assured about your data. You can also see what this article has to say about secure and private data:

• Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Learn
• Privacy and data security in Microsoft Security Copilot | Microsoft Learn

However, you can disable Copilot by disabling the Connected Experience or you can cancel your current subscription and repurchase Microsoft 365 Classic, which will not include Copilot.

1. Disable Copilot.

1. Open a Microsoft 365 application (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook).
2. Select File > Account.
3. Under Account Privacy, select Manage Settings.
4. deselect ‘Enable optional connectivity experience’.
5. Restart the Microsoft 365 application

2. Purchase Microsoft 365 Classic:

Due to the unique nature of this version, you may need to contact our online support staff to assist you with your purchase:

Contact Microsoft Support.

1. Visit this site:Contact - Microsoft Support
2. Enter your question in the search box there. For example, Subscriptions/Tax Invoices/Refunds, etc.
3. Now click on Get Help and select Contact Support below.
4. Go to the Products and Services tab and select the Microsoft 365 and Office category or Other Products.
5. On the Category tab, select Manage Subscriptions or Other Alternative.
6. Go to Confirmation.
7. You can now select the option to chat with a support specialist on your web browser.

Tip: The chat support team has limited working hours, so if you see the last window indicating that you cannot be contacted, we recommend that you try again the next day. If you prefer phone support, you can leave your phone number. In this way, they will be able to contact you and help you with your problem.

We hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us in the community.

Thank you for your understanding and support, and we wish you all the best.

Best Regards

Isabella-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist