Merge pull request #27004 from MicrosoftDocs/danbrown-copilot-websearch-policy

Updates to web search policy information

Author: DHB-MSFT

copilot/manage-public-web-access.md

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-title: Data, privacy, and security for web queries in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
+title: Data, privacy, and security for web search in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
 description: "Learn how to manage Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 access to web content for your organization."
 ms.author: danbrown
 author: DHB-MSFT
@@ -13,28 +13,22 @@ ms.collection:
 - m365copilot
 - magic-ai-copilot
 hideEdit: true
-ms.date: 10/22/2024
+ms.date: 11/15/2024
 ---
 
-# Data, privacy, and security for web queries in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
+# Data, privacy, and security for web search in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
 
 Microsoft 365 Copilot chat and [Microsoft Copilot](/copilot/overview) chat have an optional feature that allows Copilot to reference web content when responding to user prompts. Allowing Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot to reference web content improves the quality of Copilot responses by grounding them in the latest information from the web.
 
 ## Web search
 
-When web search is enabled, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot may fetch information from the Bing search service when information from the web will help provide a better, more grounded response. Admin controls and a user-level web content plugin toggle (only for Microsoft 365 Copilot) are available to [manage whether web search is enabled](#controls-available-to-manage-web-search) in your environment.
+When web search is enabled, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot may fetch information from the Bing search service when information from the web will help provide a better, more grounded response. Admin controls and a user-level **Web content** toggle (only for Microsoft 365 Copilot) are available to [manage whether web search is enabled](#controls-available-to-manage-web-search) in your environment.
 
 ### How web search works
 
-When web search is enabled, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot parse the user’s prompt and identifies terms where web search would improve the quality of the response. Based on these terms, Copilot generates a search query that it sends to the Bing search service asking for more information.
+When web search is enabled, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot parse the user’s prompt and identifies terms where information from the web would improve the quality of the response. Based on these terms, Copilot generates a search query that it sends to the Bing search service asking for more information.
 
-This generated search query is different from the user’s original prompt—it consists of a few words informed by the user’s prompt. When using Microsoft 365 Copilot, the generated query doesn't include the entirety of a Microsoft 365 documents associated with the prompt. However, it may also be informed by data within a Microsoft 365 document under the following conditions:
-
-- When a user enters a prompt into Copilot inside an Office application (for example, writing a prompt into Copilot in Microsoft Word while a relevant document is open).
-
-- When the user explicitly references a specific document in their prompt (for example, asking Copilot about a specific document from copilot.cloud.microsoft).
-
-The following information isn't included in the generated query sent to the Bing search service:
+This generated search query is different from the user’s original prompt—it consists of a few words informed by the user’s prompt. The following information isn't included in the generated search query sent to the Bing search service:
 
 - The user's entire prompt, unless the prompt is very short (for example, "local weather")
 
@@ -48,11 +42,17 @@ The following information isn't included in the generated query sent to the Bing
 > We’re making some improvements to web search query transparency in the near future. For more information, see
 [Introducing web search query transparency for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-copilot/introducing-web-search-query-transparency-for-microsoft-365/ba-p/4253080).
 
+When using Microsoft 365 Copilot, the generated search query doesn't include the entirety of Microsoft 365 documents associated with the prompt. However, it may also be informed by data within a Microsoft 365 document under the following conditions:
+
+- When a user enters a prompt into Copilot inside a Microsoft 365 application (for example, writing a prompt into Copilot in Microsoft Word while a relevant document is open).
+
+- When the user explicitly references a specific document in their prompt.
+
 The user's prompts and Copilot's responses are stored within Microsoft 365 and never leave the service boundary for both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot.
 
 After Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot receive additional information from the Bing search service, this information is used to compose the response returned to the user.
 
-When a Microsoft 365 Copilot user submits their prompt with the web content plugin toggle (that is, web search) turned on, they may receive two separate responses:
+When a Microsoft 365 Copilot user submits their prompt with the **Web content** toggle (that is, web search) turned on, they may receive two separate responses:
 
 1. If resources are found within Microsoft 365, the user sees:
     - **From your company's resources, emails, Teams messages, etc.**
@@ -67,63 +67,68 @@ The user can see results from both. Additionally, if the results are from the we
 The following table provides multiple examples of a user's prompt and the generated search queries sent to Bing. It also explains how Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot formulate a response. Brackets indicate placeholders for specific information referenced by the user or inferred by Copilot.
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> Unlike with Microsoft 365 Copilot, users can't invoke organizational content like files, emails, or chats, when prompting in Microsoft Copilot chat. For examples of purely web-based user prompts for Microsoft Copilot, see [Generated search queries](/copilot/privacy-and-protections#generated-search-queries).
+> Unlike with Microsoft 365 Copilot, users can't invoke organizational content like files, emails, or chats, when prompting in Microsoft Copilot chat. For examples of purely web-based user prompts for Microsoft Copilot, see [Privacy and security of generated search queries](/copilot/privacy-and-protections#privacy-and-security-of-generated-search-queries).
 
 | User prompt  | Generated search queries | How Copilot provides a response |
 |------|----|--------|
 | Who is my manager and what public information is available about them? | [Manager name] | Copilot finds the name of the user's manager from Microsoft 365 data. It then generates a Bing search query based on their name to see what information about them is available on the web.  |
-| I'm looking for a document authored last week by [coworker].  | None | Copilot returns documents by [coworker] found in Microsoft 365 data. No web queries are generated. |
+| I'm looking for a document authored last week by [coworker].  | None | Copilot returns documents by [coworker] found in Microsoft 365 data. No web search queries are generated. |
 | We're considering a possible acquisition of Fabrikam. Summarize financial information about the company, including their business strategy. | Fabrikam strategy<br>Fabrikam financials | Copilot returns a response with two sections. One is headlined "From your company's data" that references information the user has access to in Microsoft 365. The other is headlined "From the web," which includes any publicly available information. |
 | What decision did [coworker] make about shipping our Contoso product? | [Coworker name] decision about shipping Contoso product | Copilot returns a response based on information the user has access to in Microsoft 365.<br/><br/>Because there's no relevant information available on the web, Copilot doesn't include information from the web in the response.  |
 | Summarize [internal strategy document about clean energy] and tell me if Fabrikam has publicly announced a similar approach. | Fabrikam clean energy policy announcements  | The user explicitly includes a reference to a specific document in Microsoft 365. Copilot reasons over this document and identifies "clean energy policy" as a major theme. "Clean energy policy" is added to the generated search query sent to the Bing search service (the document itself isn't included).<br/><br/>Copilot then takes web results returned from Bing and identifies any similarities between this public information and the strategy described in the internal document. |
 
-### How Microsoft handles generated queries
+### How Microsoft handles generated search queries
 
 Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot both use generated search queries sent to the Bing search service to ground responses in web data. The way Microsoft handles these queries is identical in both services.
 
-Generated search queries sent to the Bing search service have the user and tenant identifiers removed. They aren't shared with advertisers. Also, web search queries sent to Bing do **not** impact any of the following:
+Generated search queries sent to the Bing search service have the user and tenant identifiers removed. They aren't shared with advertisers. Also, web search queries sent to Bing don't affect any of the following:
 
 - Search Ranking
 - Answers or features like Rich Captions
 - Social features like Auto Suggest, Trending, and Zero Input
 
-The Bing search service operates separately from Microsoft 365 and has different data-handling practices. The use of Bing is covered by the [Microsoft Services Agreement](https://www.microsoft.com/servicesagreement) between each user and Microsoft, together with the [Microsoft Privacy Statement](https://www.microsoft.com/privacy/privacystatement). The [Microsoft Products and Services Data Protection Addendum (DPA)](https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Microsoft-Products-and-Services-Data-Protection-Addendum-DPA) doesn't apply to the use of web content plugin in Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, or the Bing search service.
+The Bing search service operates separately from Microsoft 365 and has different data-handling practices. The use of Bing is covered by the [Microsoft Services Agreement](https://www.microsoft.com/servicesagreement) between each user and Microsoft, together with the [Microsoft Privacy Statement](https://www.microsoft.com/privacy/privacystatement). The [Microsoft Products and Services Data Protection Addendum (DPA)](https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Microsoft-Products-and-Services-Data-Protection-Addendum-DPA) doesn't apply to the use of the **Web content** toggle in Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, or the Bing search service.
 
 ## Controls available to manage web search
 
-To manage web search so it aligns with organizational policies, user preferences, and security considerations, two distinct controls are introduced: one for IT Administrators and another for end-users (only for Microsoft 365 Copilot).
+To manage web search so it aligns with organizational policies, user preferences, and security considerations, two distinct controls are available: one for IT admins and another for users (only for Microsoft 365 Copilot).
+
+### IT admin control for both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
 
-### IT administrator control for both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
+The primary way that IT admins can control access to web search is by using the **Allow web search in Copilot** policy, which is available only in [Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365](/microsoft-365-apps/admin-center/overview-cloud-policy). This policy allows IT admins to either turn on or turn off web search for users or user groups across the tenant they manage in accordance with their organization’s policies, data privacy laws, or other regulatory requirements. This policy applies to both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot.
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> In the second half of November 2024, we'll be adding a new policy to provide you with more control for making web search available to your users. The policy will be called "Allow web search in Copilot" and will be available only in [Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365](/microsoft-365-apps/admin-center/overview-cloud-policy). We’ll update this section with more details once the new policy is available.
+> The **Allow web search in Copilot** policy replaces the **Allow Copilot to improve responses with web content** control in the Microsoft 365 admin center previously used to manage web content in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
 
-Web search in both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot is part of optional connected experiences for Microsoft 365. The [privacy setting for optional connected experiences](/microsoft-365-apps/privacy/manage-privacy-controls#policy-setting-for-optional-connected-experiences) allows IT admins to either enable or disable web search for users or user groups across the tenant they manage in accordance with their organization’s policies, data privacy laws, or other regulatory requirements. This applies to both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot.
+If the IT admin enables the **Allow web search in Copilot** policy, they have three options for web search in Copilot:
 
-If optional connected experiences, and thereby web search, are enabled, Microsoft 365 Copilot users within the tenant can choose for themselves whether to enable or disable web search using the web content plugin toggle. The web content plugin toggle isn't available as part of the Microsoft Copilot user experience.
+- Enabled in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
+- Disabled in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot
+- Disabled in Microsoft 365 Copilot Work mode; Enabled in Microsoft 365 Copilot Web mode and Microsoft Copilot
 
-When optional connected experiences are disabled for users or user groups by an IT admin, web search is disabled in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot for those users within the tenant. This setting would override a Microsoft 365 Copilot user’s selection with the web content plugin toggle, and they can't override this setting.
+If the IT admin turns on web search for Microsoft 365 Copilot users, those users still have the option to turn off web search by using the [Web content toggle](#web-content-toggle-for-users-only-for-microsoft-365-copilot). The **Web content** toggle isn’t available as part of the Microsoft Copilot experience.
 
-Disabling optional connected experiences restricts Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and multiple experiences across Microsoft 365.
+If the IT admin turns off web search, the **Web content** toggle can longer be used and there isn’t a way for users to turn web search back on. For example, even if a Microsoft 365 Copilot user has turned on the **Web content** toggle, they still won’t be able to use web search.
 
-> [!NOTE]
-> - For subscription plans that don’t include Microsoft 365 apps, the privacy setting for optional connected experiences doesn’t apply, and there is no option to manage the use of web content.
-> - The privacy setting for optional connected experiences replaces the **Allow Copilot to improve responses with web content** control in the Microsoft 365 admin center previously used to manage web content in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
+If the IT admin doesn’t configure the **Allow web search in Copilot** policy, web search will be available to users in both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot, unless the IT admin has set the **Allow the use of additional optional connected experiences in Office** policy to **Disabled**. But turning off optional connected experiences restricts Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and multiple experiences across Microsoft 365.
 
-### End user toggle (only for Microsoft 365 Copilot)
+### Web content toggle for users (only for Microsoft 365 Copilot)
 
-The web content plugin end user toggle offers individual control over whether or not they want real-time web content in Microsoft 365 Copilot responses based on their personal preference. The end user toggle is only available as part of work chat in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
+The **Web content** toggle offers users control over whether or not they want real-time web content in Microsoft 365 Copilot responses based on their personal preference. The **Web content** toggle is only available as part of work chat in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
 
-If optional connected experiences are enabled, this setting is enabled by default. When enabled, the user receives responses grounded in real-time web content. If the IT admin disables optional connected experiences, this option isn't available to the Microsoft 365 Copilot user as part of work chat and web search is disabled.
+If the IT admin enables web search, the **Web content** toggle is turned on by default. When turned on, the user receives responses grounded in real-time web content. If the IT admin disables web search, the **Web content** toggle isn't available to the Microsoft 365 Copilot user as part of work chat and web search is disabled.
 
-If a Microsoft 365 Copilot user disables the web content plugin in work chat, web content isn't included in Copilot responses.
+If a Microsoft 365 Copilot user turns off the **Web content** toggle in work chat, web content isn't included in Copilot responses.
 
 Microsoft 365 Copilot users can manage web search in work chat by following these steps:
 
 1. Select the plugin menu at the bottom right of the chat input box in Microsoft 365 Copilot when using work chat.
 
    :::image type="content" source="media/copilot-prompt-box.png" alt-text="Image showing a cursor pointing to the plugin menu in the chat input box in Microsoft 365 Copilot.":::
 
-2. Disable the web content plugin.
+2. Turn off the **Web content** toggle.
 
    :::image type="content" source="media/copilot-web-toggle.png" alt-text="Image showing a cursor pointing to the web content plugin toggle enabled.":::
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> The privacy setting for optional connected experiences available to users in Microsoft 365 apps (for example, in Word, Excel, or Teams) has no effect on the availability of web search. For example, if a user turns off optional connected experiences, web search can still be available to the user.