# Microsoft Security & Compliance Principals

Microsoft's compliance and trust principles are designed to ensure that their services uphold the highest standards of security, privacy, and accountability. Here's a breakdown of these principles:

1. **Control**: Microsoft ensures that customers maintain control over their data. Customers can choose where their data is stored, how it is managed, and who has access to it, empowering them with the ability to manage their own privacy and compliance needs.
2. **Transparency**: Microsoft provides transparency about its policies, practices, and procedures. This includes making available detailed information about data protection, certifications, audit results, and more. Transparency builds trust by making it clear how data is handled at every stage.
3. **Security**: Security is a cornerstone of Microsoft's services. They implement advanced security measures such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and constant monitoring to protect customer data from unauthorized access or attacks. Microsoft ensures compliance with global security standards, offering customers peace of mind that their data is secure.
4. **Strong Legal Protections**: Microsoft provides strong legal protections for customers' data. This includes abiding by strict data protection laws and regulations globally, such as GDPR, and providing clear, enforceable commitments in its contracts regarding how customer data is handled and protected.
5. **No Content-Based Targeting**: Microsoft ensures that customer data is not used for content-based targeting or advertising purposes. This principle protects users' privacy by assuring them that their data will not be used for personalizing ads or any other marketing practices without consent.
6. **Benefits for Customers**: Microsoft's compliance framework provides customers with the assurance that they can trust the company with their data. By adhering to these principles, Microsoft helps customers maintain compliance with regulatory requirements, mitigate risk, and safeguard their data in the cloud.

For more detailed information on Microsoft’s compliance policies and certifications, you can visit the **Service Trust Portal**: <https://servicetrust.microsoft.com>. This portal offers in-depth resources, including whitepapers, audit reports, and compliance guides to help customers navigate Microsoft's compliance framework.
