Microsoft 365 to better consider sensitivity labels

The apps from Microsoft 365 recognize sensitivity labels. This allows files to be classified as “Private”, “Public”, “General,” “Confidential”, or even “highly confidential,” and policies can be applied, for example, when copying and moving between local and cloud storage. These labels should now also be respected by Microsoft's automatic analysis, integrated as "Connected Experience".

Microsoft announced this in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (MC1297982, copy at merill.net). The developers are extending the labels, also referred to as sensitivity labels by Microsoft, so that server-side analysis for the “Connected Experience” may be omitted. Behind this are (AI) functions that examine Office documents stored on OneDrive, for example, and provide design recommendations, suggestions for improvements, data insights, and the like.

Microsoft plans to start the rollout in mid-May. The consideration of labels should work without further configuration changes by admins. If the feature is active, Microsoft 365 will no longer send files to content analysis, thereby improving data protection. Microsoft explicitly mentions the apps Excel, PowerPoint, and Word for which this applies.

Public preview starts mid-May

Microsoft intends to distribute the public preview of the adjustment starting in mid-May and complete it by the end of May. General availability will follow in early June and should be completed by the end of the month. Organizations using Microsoft Purview, as well as users who use files with the sensitivity label "Prevent some connected experiences that analyze content", will particularly benefit from the improved privacy.

Until now, files marked in this way only blocked some analysis components of the connected experience; this will now apply comprehensively. This explicitly includes AI-powered content analyses, i.e., Microsoft's Copilot.

Last September, the BSI provided tips on Microsoft Office on how to configure it more securely.

(dmk)