Viva Insights will stop processing Windows 10 or 11 application activity history data to compute personal insights such as time spent in documents even if both users and organization’s IT administrator opt users in.
Viva Insights will continue to process data from these sources to offer data-driven, privacy-protected personal insights:
- Exchange Online email and calendar data,
- chat and call signals from Skype for Business and from Teams
Viva Insights will continue to store and process this data inside each employee’s Exchange Online mailbox.
When this will happen
We will be rolling out this change in early November and expect to complete by late November.
How this will affect your organization
Windows 10 or 11 activity history data refers to the things people do on their device, such as the apps and services they used, whether they worked on a document, and whether they browsed the web. The activity history is stored locally on the device, and if the employee is signed into the device with a Microsoft account and gives permission, Windows sends the activity history to Microsoft.
Additionally, Viva Insights used Windows 10 or 11 activity history data to compute personal insights (for example, daily and weekly activity hours, multi-tasking in meetings) about the person’s work habits. These insights are private and stored in the person’s Exchange Online mailbox.
Which Viva Insights experiences include Windows 10 or 11 activity history?
- Viva Insights used Windows 10 or 11 Activity history to power insights related to time spent in documents within working hours and after hours. These were displayed as Food for thought in the Viva Insights dashboard. The time spent in documents was also added to the total collaboration time and affects metrics, such as “Time available to focus” and “Quiet time”.
How users check if Window 10 or 11 Activity history is enabled on their device:
- Open Windows Settings.
- Search for “Activity History Privacy Settings.”
- The following two settings must be selected for Viva Insights to use the data.
- Store my activity history on this device
- Send my activity history to Microsoft
How admins can manage privacy settings for Viva Insights:
What you need to do to prepare
Review and assess the impact for your organization and you might want to update your training and documentation as appropriate.
Message ID: MC445740
Published: 2022-10-13
Updated: 2022-10-13
Platform: Online, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
