Microsoft outreached is eye opening, cautiously tread lightly with Microsoft for now on

Mark K · Mar 2, 2026

Apparently I have asked a sensitive question in the Microsoft Q&A Forums that got the attention of Microsoft. Prior to my post, I have been through telephone support and chat support on this same question. After talking to Microsoft Support, or whatever department that I talked to on the phone, Microsoft is greatly censoring answers in posts now. According to the EULA with the online forums, Microsoft reserves the right to modify or delete anyone's post as they wish.

Microsoft's switch action went a bit farther than expected. Microsoft found my email account that had the private email discussion in it and was able to read those emails. I never provided them any email account information, they were able to find it and fully accessed it based on my recovery phone number. Wow! This really opens my eyes to how far Microsoft really respects anyone's privacy. Privacy does not exist.

I found out today that Microsoft CLOSED all my other Microsoft accounts due to violating the policies. I apparently caused Microsoft significant harm in asking a question. Microsoft's AI scanning is everything and nothing is private, they apparently can access anything they want or need to access.

Since they closed the Microsoft accounts, all accounts are no longer accessible.

Hopefully Microsoft will not reach out on this forum to remove my message or do anything else. Totally uncalled for because I just asked a question.

Brink · Mar 2, 2026

Hello Mark,

It looks like your post was moved to the link below under a different category, and not deleted.

The auto AI generated answer was deleted though. I don't see any other replies to your post other than yours. The AI post was just about general reasons why an account may have been suspended.

I am also a MOD at the Microsoft Q&A Forums, so I can see what has been deleted or not.

MS found violation of Terms of Service and Abuse? Outlook account email closing? - Microsoft Q&A

Suddenly my Outlook.com account that I had for some time for email got closed by Microsoft due to violating terms of service due to abuse. I only use this email account for email and nothing else. Everyone in our email thread all received the same email…

learn.microsoft.com

Mark K · Mar 2, 2026

I received a message from the Moderator that the message had been removed due to violating Microsoft terms. When I went back to look for the post, the post was not there with showing message that it had been removed.

Brink · Mar 2, 2026

Nipdawg said:
I received a message from the Moderator that the message had been removed due to violating Microsoft terms. When I went back to look for the post, the post was not there with showing message that it had been removed.

The removal notice may have been for the AI post. Your post may have disappeared for a moment while it was being moved.

Do you see it now at the link I posted?

Mark K · Mar 2, 2026

Brink said:
The removal notice may have been for the AI post. Your post may have disappeared for a moment while it was being moved.

Do you see it now at the link I posted?

Yes.

Brink · Mar 2, 2026

Ok. Good.

Mark K · Mar 2, 2026

In short, Microsoft basically cannot answer my question. That is why I tried the Microsoft Community forum and Microsoft stated that it will not get answered. They only referred me to read all the rules (EULA, ToS, Policies, etc.) with no answers.

The email encryption through Outlook.com/MS 365 account is all through Microsoft's Microsoft Purview Message Encryption (and other Azure services) where they have the right to review messages, whether encrypted or not, and so on.

If we used a third-party encryption tool for our email discussions, in general, those email discussions would not be visible to anyone due to Microsoft not having access to the public keys.

I'm getting to old for this stuff any more. Getting harder to get real answers like the old days.

Marie SWE · Mar 2, 2026

MS has full access to everyone's MS-accounts.. That is how they share peoples bitlocker recovery encryption keys to the police.
But if you use a third party encryption to encrypt the text within an e-mail that dont have the same key, and you never shared that key in your email. Then they cant encrypt the email.
If you use Onedrive and your decrypted emails is in there, then they have access.

But.. you really have to be a person if real interest for them to even spend a second to actually look in that deep in to a person.

Marie SWE · Mar 2, 2026

Brink said:
I am also a MOD at the Microsoft Q&A Forums

What.

are you a mod in there too.. I think i soon have to ask the other way around..... on what windows related forums are you NOT mod on. *LOL*

Mark K · Mar 2, 2026

Marie SWE said:
MS has full access to everyone's MS-accounts..

I've known that for years. Just found it unusual that is very easy for some Microsoft employees to access encrypted emails. I know what Microsoft states on how they "can" access it.

This AI enforcement of censoring is crap because it provides no real reason or justification for those actions. I guess this is the new standard.

Marie SWE said:
But.. you really have to be a person if real interest for them to even spend a second to actually look in that deep in to a person.

From 1995 to 2006 I had many Microsoft contacts for the technical information I provided for them through testing. I basically devoted my life to Microsoft back then. I even turned down a great job offer back in 1993, and glad I did. But I am still a "nobody" to Microsoft, just a local IT Expert that keeps many businesses running every day. In a few years, hopefully, I'll no longer be doing this stuff any longer.

Marie SWE · Mar 2, 2026

Nipdawg said:
This AI enforcement of censoring is crap because it provides no real reason or justification for those actions. I guess this is the new standard.

i dont know if it's the new standard.. didn't this start with the 11 release?
i ditched win when 7 went eol, as i saw the privacy invasion to hard work to keep at bay when they started with rolling releases with 10.. as all work had to be redone after every version update.. and it was just to much... I tweak once and then i expect the OS to stay that way until i install a new OS.

So new.. for some perhaps.. they just tried to hide it better in the past.

glasskuter · Mar 2, 2026

I have never heard of MS disabling MS email accounts so whatever infraction they found must have been a real no-no.

To anyone who uses Microsoft email and has a concern about this, there are a number of things you can disable to prevent AI from using your email and co-pilot chats for co-pilot training., But the list and each item's method to do this is quite long.

You can get the answer directly for yourself from ....wait for it....CO-PILOT. All you have to do is ask "How to stop microsoft account email from being scanned for AI training" You have to change your settings in your MS account online, Windows 11, and Office 365 apps. It tells you exact instructions for each step by your interaction answers.

OR I have copied the general answer word for word in the attached zipped pdf file. However without interaction you get no step by step instructions.,

XxXxX · Mar 2, 2026

i gave up with the MS forum some years ago
i dont have 17 lines of credentials to place at the top of each post
so i can validate myself to post and they are not very keen on outsiders

its Microsoft and only Microsoft nothing else will be tolerated.
@Brink i have seen you on the MS forum occasionally
i have also seen on occasion that 'some' used to direct Q's to here
but not recently.

best of luck Steve ..

Mark K · Mar 3, 2026

glasskuter said:
I have never heard of MS disabling MS email accounts so whatever infraction they found must have been a real no-no.

That is the confusing part. This outlook.com account is only used for emails, secured emails mostly, and that is why it is puzzling to us. Anyway, we are switching over to OpenPGP to secure our emails now.

PhilB · Mar 3, 2026

glasskuter said:
You can get the answer directly for yourself from ....wait for it....CO-PILOT. All you have to do is ask "How to stop microsoft account email from being scanned for AI training" You have to change your settings in your MS account online, Windows 11, and Office 365 apps. It tells you exact instructions for each step by your interaction answers.

Just love this answer. Oh, the irony of it all.

lffoar · Mar 3, 2026

Marie SWE said:
What. are you a mod in there too.. I think i soon have to ask the other way around..... on what windows related forums are you NOT mod on. *LOL*

Marie, FYI.......Sean (Brink) can:
Walk on water
Jump tall buildings in a single bound
Tame wild bulls
Shape shift through walls
AND......he has even been known to change a tap washer!!!

cheaterslick · Mar 3, 2026

XxXxX said:
i gave up with the MS forum some years ago

Yeah, I gave it up too. I've gotten more help here in the last year than I have the previous 10 using that forum.

I also used a different handle over there when I made my break. No cheaterslicks over there, I can tell ya.

Marcus Vinicus · Mar 3, 2026

lffoar said:
Marie, FYI.......Sean (Brink) can:
Walk on water
Jump tall buildings in a single bound
Tame wild bulls
Shape shift through walls
AND......he has even been known to change a tap washer!!!

Is that with or without AI?

Marie SWE · Mar 3, 2026

lffoar said:
Marie, FYI.......Sean (Brink) can:
Walk on water
Jump tall buildings in a single bound
Tame wild bulls
Shape shift through walls
AND......he has even been known to change a tap washer!!!

You forgot one thing.

. He can fly too. :ufo:

Mark K · Mar 3, 2026

Update (FWIW) -

An "official" Microsoft rep contacted me today and had a discussion with two Microsoft people today about my response. Apparently what I said somewhere along the line finally got some "right" attention rather than the wrong attention. They said their departments, but those were irrelevant to me, because I was wanting to know why they were calling me and recording the phone call.

In short of it all:

Microsoft ignored my Feedback posts, and various Support/Ticket submissions on this problem because they were not interested in addressing non-AI issues (oversight on Microsoft side). Due to the same phone number in the other Microsoft accounts, they pulled up all my previous (open/closed) accounts. The posts, submissions, etc. all were archived for reference in Microsoft's cloud somewhere. I do have other Microsoft accounts with a different name and phone numbers, which they linked to me, and told them those were my accounts. Not sure how they did it, but does not surprise me.

The AI trigger is from an email from 2006. That email no longer exists to me, but Microsoft has the meta data. Unfortunately, they cannot undo the immediate closure of the account. That is all I know. My other questions were not answered. Imagine that.

Microsoft outreached is eye opening, cautiously tread lightly with Microsoft for now on

Well-known member

Attachments

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Administrator

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

I almost never bite.......

My Computers

I almost never bite.......

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

I almost never bite.......

My Computers

aka Mama Glass

Attachments

My Computers

Just a Computer User

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Semper paratus

My Computers

I almost never bite.......

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer