It is illegal for mail adverts to be sent to individuals Inbox without their permission.

Question

It is illegal for mail adverts to be sent to individuals Inbox without their permission.

Rog 50

I have not given Microsoft permission for them to disclose my email address to businesses. These spurious emails might contain spam or viruses that might affect my PC and they cannot be flagged as dangerous or diverted to my junk folder. What is galling, is it seems Microsoft has an answer. Buy 365 to stop the adverts. I do not want 365 and I do not want adverts I do not trust.

It is not lawful for Microsoft to send email adverts to your Outlook.com inbox without your permission. Microsoft must not send marketing emails or texts to individuals without specific consent, and there is a limited exception for your own previous customers, often called the ‘soft opt-in’. If you have not provided consent, Microsoft is not allowed to send you marketing emails.

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Bulldog 5,035 Reputation points

2026-10-17T14:35:55.3266667+00:00

What evidence do you have that these businesses got your email address because Microsoft, not someone else, disclosed it to them?

And what evidence do you have that Microsoft, not someone else, sent these adverts to you?

Did you know that the email addresses of virtually everyone who used a computer are freely available on the Internet to anyone who wants them?

We can help you to manage spam, if that's what you want to do. Spam has been a problem for decades. There's only so much that anyone can do to control it, but we can show the best techniques available.

1 answer

Your answer

Bulldog 5,035 Reputation points

2026-10-17T14:35:55.3266667+00:00

What evidence do you have that these businesses got your email address because Microsoft, not someone else, disclosed it to them?

And what evidence do you have that Microsoft, not someone else, sent these adverts to you?

Did you know that the email addresses of virtually everyone who used a computer are freely available on the Internet to anyone who wants them?

We can help you to manage spam, if that's what you want to do. Spam has been a problem for decades. There's only so much that anyone can do to control it, but we can show the best techniques available.

Answer 1

Sorry to hear you're having trouble.

I have read through the link you provided and suspect that if you'd purchased any items from Microsoft in the past it's entirely possible that accepting messages may have been allowed. As this is an open forum and I'm afraid that no one here would be able to help with this specifically the best I can suggest would be to check the email messages for an option to Opt Out as your link suggests then click it and follow the instructions.

I'd also like to mention that your post is showing as coming from the US. If you're using a VPN then the messages your receiving may be because the system no longer believes that you are in the UK. If this is the case I would recommend turning off the VPN to prevent them from continuing.

As for requesting they no longer be sent you may have better luck by speaking with Microsoft Support directly by starting an online chat via https://support.microsoft.com/contactus then following the instructions provided until you reach a person. It may be best to just keep saying you need more help to speed up that process.