Slack vs Microsoft Teams

If you use Slack through work, your employer or workspace owner controls messages, files, settings, exports, and many privacy choices. In practice, your organization—not you—usually decides retention, access, and deletion of workspace content.

Workspace owners and admins may access, modify, or restrict your information, including profile details and workspace activity logs. Users should not assume workplace Slack activity is private from their organization.

Slack collects extensive non-content data including logs, device identifiers, approximate location, cookies, imported contacts, integration data, and audio/video metadata. This creates a detailed record of how you use the service even outside message content itself.

Slack says it does not 'sell' personal data under CCPA definitions, but it may share identifiers and internet activity with third-party advertisers for targeted ads off Slack. That means some personal data can still support advertising ecosystems.

Slack states it does not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA and says it would provide a right to opt out before doing so. This is a meaningful privacy commitment, even though ad-related sharing still occurs.

Users may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object, and for Californians opt out of certain sharing. Slack also recognizes Global Privacy Control for cookie-based sharing opt-outs.

When integrations are enabled, Slack may receive and share data with those providers, which operate under their own privacy policies. Slack expressly does not guarantee those providers fully disclose permissions.

Slack keeps customer data according to employer instructions, but may retain other personal data as long as necessary for support, audits, legal compliance, disputes, and business interests. This does not give users a firm deletion timeline for all personal data.

Slack clearly says data may be transferred internationally, including to the U.S., and identifies Standard Contractual Clauses and APEC certifications as safeguards. This is helpful transparency for cross-border data handling.

Slack can change its privacy policy over time and asks users to review it, with extra notice only for material changes to privacy rights. Continued use may effectively mean accepting updated terms unless you deactivate your account.

Slack links to supporting materials like subprocessors, security practices, data request resources, transparency reporting, and data export guidance. That makes it easier for users and organizations to evaluate operational privacy practices.

U.S. users generally must resolve disputes through individual arbitration and waive class actions, limiting the ability to sue in court or join group claims. Small claims court is the main exception.

If Teams is provided by your employer or school, that organization can control the account and access data including files and communications. Users on work or school accounts should not expect the same level of privacy as with a personal account.

Microsoft says it collects not only account and usage data, but also contacts, location, communications content, device data, and data from affiliates and third parties. This creates a large cross-context profile of users.

Your data may be used for advertising, marketing, personalization, and relevant offers, and Microsoft may share advertising-related data with third-party ad platforms and advertisers. This goes beyond strictly providing the service.

Microsoft says it may use collected data to develop and train AI models, and manual review may support automated processing. Users should assume some data contributes to product and AI improvement unless limited by product-specific controls or law.

The service is provided "as is," and Microsoft’s liability is generally capped at your monthly fee or $10 for free services. If something goes wrong, available compensation may be very limited.

Microsoft expressly says it does not use the contents of email, human chat, video calls, voicemail, documents, photos, or personal files to target ads. For a messaging service, this is a meaningful privacy protection.

Users can close their Microsoft account at any time, and Microsoft says it will delete or disassociate associated data/content unless legally required to keep it. This gives a reasonably clear exit path.

Microsoft offers privacy rights including access, deletion, correction, objection, restriction, consent withdrawal, and portability, with tools like the privacy dashboard. Data export is also specifically mentioned for switching providers.

Microsoft reserves broad rights to review, block, remove, or decline content and to limit or close accounts for policy, safety, legal, or storage reasons. Access to content and services can be lost quickly if enforcement is triggered.

Microsoft can change the terms at any time, and continuing to use the service after the effective date means you accept the new terms. In practice, users must either accept changes or stop using Teams.

Paid subscriptions renew automatically until canceled, and purchases are generally final and non-refundable. Users need to cancel before the next billing date to avoid charges.