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EU Windows Users Getting New Single Sign-In Option

European Economic Area Windows users will be getting a new single sign-in notice, starting in January, Microsoft announced on Thursday.

The sign-in notice for Windows 10 and Windows 11 informs users that "when you sign in, we use your account to sign you in to other Microsoft apps and services," with options to "Continue" or "Don't sign in." Microsoft is adding this notice as part of its efforts to "ensure compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Economic Area (EEA)."

The "Don't sign in" option apparently depends on the application. Microsoft explained that "if an application can be used without signing in, a user can choose the Don't sign in option and choose to use the application unauthenticated."

If users opt for the "Continue" option, then they won't get prompted to sign in again for the most part. The prompt will appear again, though, "if the user has not signed in to Windows for 90 days, or they remove and re-add a cloud account to Windows."

The new sign-in notice just will be seen by EEA users. Microsoft expects to make it available for those Windows 10 and Windows 11 users starting in "January 2024," with a full roll out expected "by March 2024."

The DMA is designed to ensure "fair and open digital markets," according to the European Union's landing page. Some companies meeting certain financial market criteria get designated as "gatekeepers" under the DMA. These gatekeepers "have gained the ability to easily set commercial conditions and terms in a unilateral and detrimental manner for their business users and end users," per the DMA (section 13). The  European Commission's first gatekeeper designations were bestowed on "Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft" with respect to "22 core platform services,” according to an article by the Macfarlanes law firm.

The new Windows single sign-in messaging can be seen now in preview form in "Windows 11 (Build 2631.2787)" for EEA country users. Windows Insider Program testers will see it in "Windows 10 and Windows 11 in the coming weeks," Microsoft added.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

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