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Windows Media SDK Versions 9.5, 10, and 11 Privacy Information
Privacy Information for Developers Using Versions 9.5, 10, and 11 Windows Media Software Development
Kits
Last Updated: August 2006
Summary: The following information is designed to assist developers in understanding what privacy information might be important to disclose to their end users when they build
solutions on the following Microsoft® Windows Media® software development kits (SDKs):
- Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 SDK
- Microsoft Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK
- Microsoft Windows Media Format 11 SDK
- Microsoft Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK
- Microsoft Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK
Microsoft and Privacy
Microsoft is concerned about end-user privacy. For this reason, Microsoft created a detailed privacy statement for Windows Media Player 10 that discloses our data collection and use
practices. In addition, Microsoft created a first-run experience for Windows Media Player 10 users that presents an initial set of privacy control options.
When you build an application using the Windows Media Software Development Kits (SDKs), your application may impact end users' privacy. For example, your application may explicitly
collect user contact information, or it may request or send information over the Internet to your Web site. If you embed Microsoft technology in your application, that technology may
have its own behavior that might affect privacy. For example, an application built on the Windows Media Player SDK may automatically contact Microsoft to download new codecs.
To assist you in creating your own privacy disclosures, each Microsoft Windows Media Software Development Kit includes information about features that affect privacy and recommendations
for end-user disclosures. The Windows Media Player privacy statement provides additional information.
There are two versions of the Windows Media Player privacy statement that apply to the SDKs listed above in the summary above. The
Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement applies to SDK versions 9.5 and 10, and the Windows Media Player 11 Privacy Statement
applies to version 11 of the SDKs.
The following information highlights sections of the SDKs and the Windows Media Player privacy statement that you may want to review when constructing a privacy statement for your
application.
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Windows Media Player 10 SDK
The Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 SDK provides information and tools that enable you to customize Windows Media Player 10 or use the Windows Media Player ActiveX control and Windows
Media metafiles. If you are building an application using the Windows Media Player 10 SDK, there are several features of Windows Media Player 10 that you may wish to review because
they affect privacy. You may also find it helpful to review the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement.
General Player Behavior, Cookies, Metadata
Privacy aspects of the general features of Windows Media Player 10 are discussed in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement. This includes a discussion of the role of cookies
and a detailed discussion of the interaction with WindowsMedia.com that provides metadata to augment the user's experience while playing CDs and DVDs. For more information, see the
following topics:
- Windows Media Player Features (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
- Cookies (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
- Enhanced Playback of CDs and DVDs (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
Online Store Integration
Windows Media Player 10 integrates with online stores, which are Web-based services provided by Microsoft and third parties. As described in the SDK, if the user is online, Windows
Media Player will contact a server at Microsoft during installation and on every initialization to obtain a list of current online stores. There are several points in the user interface
where an application built using the Windows Media Player 10 SDK will send a message over the Internet to the current online store. For more information, see:
- About Online Store Integration (in Windows Media Player 10 SDK Help)
- About Album Info Integration (in Windows Media Player 10 SDK Help)
- About Info Center View Integration (in Windows Media Player 10 SDK Help)
- About Purchase Integration (in Windows Media Player 10 SDK Help)
Automatic Codec Download
If your application's playback of content requires a codec that is not present on a user's computer, Windows Media Player can silently download the codec from a Microsoft server (if
it is available and the user is online). For more information, see:
- Publishing Codecs for Windows Media Player (in Windows Media Player 10 SDK Help)
- Automatic Codec Download (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
Streaming Media Servers
If content is streamed over a network, Windows Media Player will communicate with a streaming media server on the Internet which may collect log information from users. For more information,
see:
- Logging Stream Data (in Windows Media Player 10 SDK Help)
- Communication with Streaming Media Servers (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
Digital Rights Management
For information about the privacy aspects of Microsoft's digital rights management technology for Windows Media (DRM), see:
- Microsoft Digital Rights Management (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
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Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK
The Microsoft Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK lets application developers create products that play, write, edit, encrypt, and deliver Advanced Systems Format files and network streams.
If you are building an application using the Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK, you may want to review the following features of the SDK because they affect privacy.
Digital Rights Management
If your application can play or manipulate content protected with Microsoft's digital rights management technology for Windows Media (DRM), the DRM routines within the Windows Media
Format 9.5 SDK may send machine information to license servers on the Internet and DRM servers at Microsoft. More detailed information about the privacy impact of the DRM routines
can be found in the Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK sections and Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement sections in the following list:
- DRM Individualization (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
- Individualizing DRM Applications (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
- Handling Individualization Events (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
- Backing Up and Restoring of DRM Licenses (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
- Handling License Acquisition Events (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
- Working with Revocation Lists (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
- Microsoft Digital Rights Management (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
- License Migration Service (in the Windows Media Player 10 Privacy Statement)
Streaming Servers
If a user plays streaming media content, logging information will be sent to the streaming media server or other Web servers. For more information, see:
- Client Logging (in Windows Media Format SDK 9.5 Help)
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Windows Media Format 11 SDK
The Microsoft Windows Media Format 11 SDK lets application developers create products that play, write, edit, encrypt, and deliver Advanced Systems Format files and network streams.
If you are building an application using the Windows Media Format 11 SDK, you may want to review the following features of the SDK because they affect privacy.
Digital Rights Management
If your application can play or manipulate content protected with Microsoft's digital rights management technology for Windows Media (DRM), the DRM routines within the Windows Media
Format 11 SDK may send machine information to license servers on the Internet and DRM servers at Microsoft. More detailed information about the privacy impact of the DRM routines can
be found in the Windows Media Format 11 SDK sections and Windows Media Player 11 Privacy Statement sections in the following list:
- DRM Individualization (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
- Individualizing DRM Applications (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
- Handling Individualization Events (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
- Backing Up and Restoring of DRM Licenses (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
- Handling License Acquisition Events (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
- Working with Revocation Lists (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
- Microsoft Digital Rights Management (in the Windows Media Player 11 Privacy Statement)
- License Migration Service (in the Windows Media Player 11 Privacy Statement)
- Renewing revoked components (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
Streaming Servers
If a user plays streaming media content, logging information will be sent to the streaming media server or other Web servers. For more information, see:
- Client Logging (in Windows Media Format SDK 11 Help)
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Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK
The Windows Media Device Manager 10 runtime routines are included as part of the Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK runtime. Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK routines enable the transfer
of content to portable devices and assist in the collection of data transferred from the portable device to the user's computer.
If you are building an application using the Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK, you may want to review the following features of the SDK because they affect privacy.
Secure Clock
If you use the Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK to interact with a secure clock on the user's portable device, the Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK routines will send a time
request containing standard computer and troubleshooting information to windowsmedia.com. For more information, search for "secure clock" in Windows Media Device Manager
Help to view documentation about relevant methods and APIs.
Metering
It is possible for a personal computer or a portable device to receive a license that requires the DRM routines to maintain usage counts for the licensed content. If you create an
application that collects this data to send to a Metering Aggregation Service, you may want to disclose the collection and transfer to your users. For more information, see the Metering
topic in Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK Help.
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Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK
The Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK is designed for application and Web developers who want to deliver digital media, such as songs and videos, through the Internet in a protected
manner.
Metering
If your application issues content licenses that require usage metering, or if your application is a Metering Aggregation Service that collects metering data using the Windows Media
Rights Manager APIs, you may want to disclose your collection of usage data in a privacy statement.
For additional details about features that affect privacy, see:
- Metering (in Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK Help)
- Revoking Applications by Using Revocation Lists (in Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK Help)
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Windows Media 9 Series SDKs
For privacy-related information for applications built using the Microsoft Windows Media Format 9 Series SDK, Windows Media Player 9 Series SDK, Windows Media Device Manager 9 Series
SDK, and Windows Media Encoder 9 Series SDK, see the Windows Media 9 Series SDK Privacy Information page.
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