Microsoft and Opaque Clarity
September 7, 2022
Ah, Microsoft, we wish we could say we were surprised. HackerNoon explains “How Bing Is Spying on Users Without Their Consent Using Microsoft Clarity.” A companion to Bing Ads, Clarity collects and analyzes how users interact with one’s website. It can detect how long someone spends on each page, for example, or what kind of device they use. While the tool provides helpful information to webmasters, it appears Microsoft is also helping itself to the data. The writer was dismayed to discover Clarity was collecting their users’ information and promptly banished it from their site. We learn:
“Although Microsoft Clarity does not collect personally identifiable information (PII), it does collect data that could be used to personally identify a website visitor. This data includes the visitor’s IP address, which could be used to approximate their geographic location. Clarity also collects data about the visitor’s browser, device, and operating system, which could be used to identify the visitor’s identity or track their online activity. Ask yourself, are you okay with malicious hackers installing Remote Access Trojan (RAT) on your computer and they promise they couldn’t identify who you are and only wanted to study your behavior?”
The only hint to this activity in the Clarity user agreement is the vague notice data may be used for research and development. That can mean a lot of things. The write-up continues:
“You have to specifically tell Bing Ads not to track you by submitting a request form through this form. But even if you do opt-out, there’s no guarantee that your data won’t be collected. If you would like to continue using Bing Ads for conversion tracking, I urge you to fill up the form beforehand and only start using Bing Ads after they have approved opting you out. So if you’re concerned about your privacy, you might want to avoid Bing Ads altogether. Or at the very least, be aware that your every move is being tracked.”
The writer admits the insights Clarity provides can be valuable, but warns they might not be worth the tradeoff. Yes, it is a free tool, but we are reminded that “when you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.” They suggest choosing an alternative, like those on this list (conveniently hosted on their now Clarity-free website).
Cynthia Murrell, September 6, 2022
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