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Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6 Service Pack 1 Privacy Statement

Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy, while delivering software that brings you the performance, power, and convenience you desire in your personal computing. This privacy statement explains many of the data collection and use practices of Microsoft Application Virtualization, 4.6 Service Pack 1 (“App-V”).  Specifically, the privacy statement describes the features in Service Pack 1 that send information to others, including Microsoft. It does not apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, products, or services.

App-V transforms applications into virtualized, network-available services resulting in dynamic delivery of software that is never installed, does not conflict, and minimizes costly application compatibility testing. Users and their application environments are no longer machine-specific, and the machines themselves are no longer user-specific, enabling IT to be flexible and responsive to business needs, and significantly reducing the cost of PC management, including application and operating system (OS) migrations.

Collection and Use of Your Information

The information we collect from you will be used by Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates to enable the features you are using and provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have requested or authorized.  It may also be used to analyze and improve Microsoft products and services.

We may send certain mandatory service communications such as welcome letters, billing reminders, information on technical service issues, and security announcements.  Some Microsoft services may send periodic member letters that are considered part of the service. We may occasionally request your feedback, invite you to participate in surveys, or send you promotional mailings to inform you of other products or services available from Microsoft and its affiliates.

In order to offer you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with Microsoft, information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services. We may also supplement the information we collect with information obtained from other companies. For example, we may use services from other companies that enable us to derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your geographic area.

Except as described in this statement, personal information you provide will not be transferred to third parties without your consent. We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as packaging, sending and delivering purchases and other mailings, answering customer questions about products or services, processing event registration, or performing statistical analysis of our services. We will only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.

Microsoft may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the services; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public. We may also disclose personal information as part of a corporate transaction such as a merger or sale of assets.

Information that is collected by or sent to Microsoft App-V may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland.

Collection and Use of Information about Your Computer

When you use software with Internet-enabled features, information about your computer ("standard computer information") is sent to the Web sites you visit and online services you use. Microsoft uses standard computer information to provide you Internet-enabled services, to help improve our products and services, and for statistical analysis. Standard computer information typically includes information such as your IP address, operating system version, browser version, and regional and language settings. In some cases, standard computer information may also include hardware ID, which indicates the device manufacturer, device name, and version. If a particular feature or service sends information to Microsoft, standard computer information will be sent as well. 

The privacy details for each App-V feature, software or service listed in this privacy statement describe what additional information is collected and how it is used.

Security of your information

Microsoft is committed to helping protect the security of your information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the information you provide on computer systems with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities.

Changes to this privacy statement

We will occasionally update this privacy statement to reflect changes in our products, services, and customer feedback. When we post changes, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of this statement. If there are material changes to this statement or in how Microsoft will use your personal information, we will notify you either by posting a notice of such changes prior to implementing the change or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review this statement to be informed of how Microsoft is protecting your information.

For More Information

Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you have questions about this statement or believe that we have not adhered to it, please contact us at:

Microsoft Privacy

Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, Washington 98052 USA

Specific features

The remainder of this document will address the following specific features:

Customer Experience Improvement Program

What This Feature Does:

The Customer Experience Improvement Program (“CEIP”) collects basic information about your hardware configuration and how you use our software and services in order to identify trends and usage patterns. CEIP also collects the type and number of errors you encounter, software and hardware performance, and the speed of services.  We will not collect your name, address, or other contact information.

Information Collected, Processed, or Transmitted:

For more information about the information collected, processed, or transmitted by CEIP, see the CEIP privacy statement at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=52097.

Use of Information:

We use this information to improve the quality, reliability, and performance of Microsoft software and services.

Choice/Control:

You are offered the opportunity to participate in CEIP during setup. If you choose to participate and later change your mind, you can turn off CEIP at any time by:

  1. Select “Help” on the main toolbar.

  2. Select “Customer Feedback Options”.

Microsoft Error Reporting

What This Feature Does:

Microsoft Error Reporting provides a service that allows you to report problems you may be having with App-V to Microsoft and to receive information that may help you avoid or solve such problems.

Information Collected, Processed, or Transmitted:

For information about the information collected, processed, or transmitted by Microsoft Error Reporting, see the Microsoft Error Reporting privacy statement at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=184782.

Use of Information:

We use the error reporting data to solve customer problems and improve our software and services.

Important Information:

App-V does not change your Microsoft Error Reporting settings. If you previously turned on error reporting, it will send the information described above. Enterprise customers can use Group Policy to configure how Microsoft Error Reporting behaves on their computers. Configuration options include the ability to turn off Microsoft Error Reporting. If you are an administrator and wish to configure Group Policy for Microsoft Error Reporting, technical details are available at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=35776.

Application Package Accelerators

What This Feature Does:

Customers can use Application Package Accelerators to automatically package complex applications without installing the application. The App-V sequencer allows you to create package accelerators for each virtual package. You can then use these package accelerators to automatically re-create the same virtual package in the future. You may also use package accelerators released by Microsoft or other third parties to simplify and automate packaging of complex applications.

Information Collected, Processed, or Transmitted:

Application Package Accelerators may contain information such as computer names, user account information, and information about applications included in the Package Accelerator file.

If you plan to share Application Package Accelerators with anyone outside your organization you should review all the settings and ensure the Package Accelerators do not contain any personal or company information. You can view the contents by opening the Package Accelerator files using any XML viewer. The following are ways you can view and remove any computer or user information from the Package Accelerator files before sharing with anyone outside your company:

  • Username - When you log on to the computer running the App-V sequencer you should use a generic user account, such as administrator. You should not use an account that is based on an existing username.

  • Computer Name– Specify a general, non-identifying name for the computer that is running the App-V Sequencer.

  • Server URL– Use the default settings for the server URL configuration information on the Deployment tab in the App-V Sequencer console.

  • Applications – If you do not want to share the list of applications that were installed on the computer running the sequencer when you created the Package Accelerator you must delete the appv_manifest.xml file. This file is located in the package root directory of the virtual application package.

No information is sent to Microsoft through customers’ use of the Application Package Accelerator feature.