Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!)

[Gurth]

Upon starting a Microsoft game on my iPad today, I got a popup asking if I wanted to participate in a survey to help improve it. That took me to a web page with some preamble, including a notice that to participate, I had to be at least 16 years old and needed to agree to Microsoft’s confidentiality agreement. Curious to what that would say, I clicked the link.

It mainly has me wondering kind of confidential information that could be damaging to Microsoft’s business (I can’t think of another reason) could there possibly be in a survey about my enjoyment of a game?

(For the record, I never clicked anything to say I agree to their terms regarding this, so I in no way feel bound to not post the above.)

[JBert]

Oh, this is just about legalese.

I thought this was going to be about one of those "please be absolutely honest unless you want to give less than five out of five stars" mandatory surveys which gets sent to employees by their boss.

[tharpa]

@Gurth The existence of the survey is a trade secret and is also Confidential Business Information. Regardless of not having agreed not to disclose it, you're in big trouble now.

[tharpa]

@JBert said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

Oh, this is just about legalese.

I thought this was going to be about your employer's "please be honest unless you want to give less than the full amount" survey.

I thought it was going to be about manager's reviews by subordinates that they have in some places.

[Zecc]

@Gurth said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

For the record, I never clicked anything to say I agree to their terms

You got it wrong. It's not an agreement: it's a statement, see? They're not asking.

[JBert]

@tharpa said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

@JBert said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

Oh, this is just about legalese.

I thought this was going to be about your employer's "please be honest unless you want to give less than the full amount" survey.

I thought it was going to be about manager's reviews by subordinates that they have in some places.

We might be in full agreement. I've edited my post.

[Tsaukpaetra]

@Gurth said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

confidential information that could be damaging to Microsoft’s business (I can’t think of another reason) could there possibly be in a survey about my enjoyment of a game?

The tracking ID, which of course can't be used in any way whatsoever to determine who you are or identify you in any way.

[JBert]

Also, anybody wants to guess why their contact info lists sursurvey@Microsoft.com?

[CreatedToDislikeThis]

I couldn't care less about your stupid iPad games but now I want to know what the confidential survey contains, goddammit!

[Gurth]

@JBert said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

haven't read the text yet, mobile reading text screenshots

The text is the reason I posted this in the category I did.

[Gurth]

@JBert said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

Also, anybody wants to guess why their contact info lists sursurvey@Microsoft.com?

I wondered about that too. If it’s a typo, then it’s also a typo in the link, not just in the page text: http://msgamesresearch.com/confidentiality.html

[Gribnit]

@Gurth Viral marketing, Sur Survey is trying to break out of the local clubs and onto the national scene.

[remi]

@Gurth I love the "you may disclose information that the law tells you to disclose". I know it's more or less bog-standard legalese, but still, the size of the balls of the company that tells you that they generously allow you to obey the law has to be humongous.

[Gurth]

@remi Provided of course that you “give Microsoft reasonable written notice prior to such disclosure”.

What did you see on the survey web site?
If I may use my laptop in the court room, your honour, I’ll send an email to Microsoft right away to ask them if it’s okay for me to tell you what I saw there. Oh, and someone will need to tell me the wifi password, thanks.

[dkf]

@Gurth said in Confidential surveys (or: I’m in trouble if I hit “Submit”!):

I’ll send an email to Microsoft right away

No, that won't do. You need to send them a hand-written letter.