Digital safety for young people

Don’t misuse Microsoft’s services to break or harm other people’s computers or online platforms. Here are some examples of things we don’t allow:

• Trying to get into someone else's accounts, computers, or systems without permission. 

• Adding software or codes that mess up how things work for Microsoft or others.

• Causing problems on websites or services, like making them too busy to work correctly (this is called a "denial-of-service attack"). 

• Finding sneaky ways to get around rules or protections for Microsoft services, like trying to hack an AI system or copying things from websites without permission (this is called "scraping").

Microsoft wants everyone to feel safe and included when they use our services. We want to give you a place where you can connect with others and express yourself without abuse. We don’t allow bullying or behavior that is hurtful to others. Here are some things that are not okay:

• Picking on someone or trying to make them feel afraid.

• Insulting people or saying things to make them feel small.

• Not stopping when someone asks, especially if what you're doing makes them feel scared or upset. 

Microsoft works hard to keep children safe online. We don’t allow anything that could hurt or put children in danger. This includes making sure no one uses our services to harm or take advantage of children for sexual purposes. We’re always on the lookout for any behavior that could harm children, and if we find anything breaking these rules, we report it to an organization called the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Hurting kids can mean a lot of things, like sharing pictures or videos of private parts, trying to mislead kids in order to hurt them, or planning to meet a child to do something harmful. It’s against the rules to share messages or pictures that are sexual or make a child feel uncomfortable. Under our rules, a child is anyone under 18 years old, and we are serious about keeping them safe from harm.

We don’t allow anyone to use our products to hurt others, especially if it means planning with someone else to cause physical harm to a person.

Microsoft wants to make sure people have good information to help them vote. We don’t allow people to use AI tools to create fake pictures, videos, or sounds that make it look like a politician said or did something they didn’t. This rule is in place to keep elections fair and truthful.

You should never share someone’s private or personal information without their permission. To stay safe, it's important to keep certain personal details private, like where you or your friends are. If you are unsure, ask a trusted adult to help you decide what’s safe to share and what’s better to keep private.

Here are some things you're not allowed to share:

• Personal information like where someone lives, which could put them in danger.

• Account details like usernames and passwords that people use to log in. 

• Official documents, like Social Security Numbers or passport numbers.

• Private information about money, like bank account or credit card numbers, because they could be used to steal someone’s identity or money.

Seeing very violent or scary pictures or videos can upset people. Microsoft knows that some of these might be important for learning or news, but we also want to make sure people feel safe online.

We don’t allow pictures or videos that show major real-world violence or injuries (when people hurt each other in real life and not pretend, like in video games). This includes things like:

• Videos or pictures showing people getting hurt really badly or dying.

• Scenes of someone hurting their family members or people they’re supposed to take care of. 

• Serious injuries to people’s bodies.

Microsoft wants to make sure everyone can use our services and participate online. We don’t allow people to post mean or hateful things about others because of who they are, like their gender, religion, or where they come from. This includes things like:

• Encouraging others to hurt someone because of who they are.

• Calling people names or comparing them to animals to make them feel bad.

• Spreading harmful ideas about a group of people because of who they are. 

Microsoft respects people’s rights to their creative work, and we expect you to do the same. When you use Microsoft's services, you might be able to create or share your own content. But remember, you can't post, share, or send anything that belongs to someone else without their permission. This includes things like their pictures, logos, or any other creative work.

Microsoft doesn’t allow anyone to share private sexual pictures or videos of someone else without their permission. This is called non-consensual intimate imagery, or NCII. It also includes using technology to make fake pictures that look real. Sharing or making NCII on Microsoft’s services is not okay, and we don’t allow posts that praise or ask for this kind of content.

Microsoft also doesn’t allow people to threaten to share these kinds of private pictures or videos to scare someone into giving them money, other pictures, or anything else. This is called intimate extortion.

Microsoft doesn’t allow anyone to use its tools or apps to ask for or trade things like money in return for sexual pictures or videos, or to offer sex.

Spam is when someone sends the same message over and over or posts things that people don’t want or didn’t ask for. Here are some examples of spam that aren’t allowed:

• Sending messages or emails to people who didn’t ask for them and don’t want them.

• Making titles, pictures, or descriptions that trick people into thinking your content is about something else.

• Posting a bunch of links or lots of repetitive stuff that doesn’t make sense or isn’t helpful.

• Trying to cheat systems that rank or show how things appear online. 

Microsoft doesn’t allow people to use its services for fraud or scams. This means no pretending to be someone else or trying to fool people into giving up their information or money. We also don’t allow phishing, which is when someone sends fake emails or messages to get personal information, like passwords. 

Here are examples of what Microsoft doesn’t allow:

• Offering quick ways to get rich or other fake money schemes.

• Selling fake likes, views, or comments on the platform. 

• Using fake email titles or pretending to be someone else.

• Not letting people know who sent the email or how to stop getting messages.

• Fake login screens or emails used to trick and steal login or other personal information.

We make sure to take down anything about suicide or self-harm that might lead people to hurt themselves. But we understand that people might want to talk about feelings, share their experiences, or get support from others who have been affected by these issues.

Here are some things we don’t allow:

• Talking about specific ways to hurt yourself.

• Telling or encouraging someone else to hurt themselves. 

• Sharing pictures of people who have hurt themselves or died this way.

• Sharing information that supports eating disorders, which happens when someone has a really hard time eating in a healthy way.

To keep people safe, Microsoft doesn’t allow trafficking. Trafficking is when someone forces another person to do things they don’t want to do for money or something valuable.

Trafficking can mean:

• Taking people from one place to another or moving them around without their permission.

• Tricking people, lying to them, or scaring them to control them. 

• Using people to make money or gain something for yourself.

Trafficking can involve forcing people to work, marry someone, or do things they don’t agree to. It can happen to people of any age or background, and Microsoft is serious about stopping this from happening on its services.

At Microsoft, we know it’s important to keep people safe online. We don’t allow anything that helps or supports terrorists or violent extremists promote or carry out violence. We use a list made by the United Nations to understand which people or groups are terrorists. Violent extremists are people who believe in using violence against other groups. 

To do our part to stop terrorists and violent extremists from using online tools, we block things like messages that praise them, help them recruit people, or encourage others to join in their harmful actions. We also make sure that people can use our services to talk about terrorism and extremist violence in safe, helpful ways, like sharing news or telling others why they’re against it.

Microsoft doesn’t allow anything that encourages people to hurt others or say thing that could cause physical harm in the real world.

What’s not okay:

• Threats: Saying you will hurt someone seriously. If it’s a joke or an exaggeration, it’s usually not considered a real threat.

• Incitement: Sharing stuff that makes people want to hurt others or causes serious harm to someone or a group of people. 

• Glorifying violence: Praising or cheering for real-life acts of violence that hurt people badly, even if it happened a long time ago.

Don’t use Microsoft programs or tools to spread things like computer viruses or software that spies on people or breaks things. Don’t share anything that could harm Microsoft’s or someone else’s computers, networks, or servers.

Here are some examples of what’s not allowed:

• Sending programs that can harm someone’s computer.

• Hiding secret codes in apps to watch what people are doing. 

• Tricking people into clicking links, visiting websites, or downloading apps without them knowing what’s really going on.

If you see something online that doesn’t feel right or worries you, or if someone says something mean, make sure to tell a parent or another adult you trust. They can help you figure out what to do.

You should also let Microsoft know about it. This means telling them about the thing or person breaking the rules so they can check it out and decide what needs to happen. Don’t worry, the person you report won’t know it was you. Reporting is important to keep everyone safe.

Most of the time, you can report things right inside the app or website you’re using. If you can’t find how to do that, you can report it to Microsoft’s report a concern. If you’re unsure how to do this, ask a parent.

We use different kinds of technology to keep people safe online. For example, we use special tools called PhotoDNA and MD5 that help us check photos and videos that people share on Microsoft services. These tools look for content that breaks the rules. They turn pictures into a bunch of numbers, which can help us find copies of the same picture so we can take it down. We also use technology tools to look at text and images to find anything that might be against the rules or illegal. These tools can even spot when someone is trying to trick or harm others.

Finally, we listen to reports from users, governments, and trusted people who tell us if they see something wrong. All these methods help us find things that might break our rules. We use different tools, depending on what app you’re using, because we also want to help respect your rights.

We know that digital safety can be complicated. You and your family can find more information on our resources page.

Learning about safety can also be fun. The Cybersafe series on Minecraft education offers games that let you explore digital safety ideas in your favorite blocky world. You can learn more about safety in “Home Sweet Hmm”, gaming safely in “Good Game” and privacy in “Privacy Prodigy”.

Discover AI with Minecraft Education to learn more about using AI responsibly in Minecraft with “Dig Deeper” and more.