On May 1, 2018, Microsoft will be introducing a new Terms of Services agreement. This change will apply to the full suite of services provided by Microsoft. This includes, for example, Skype, Office, and Xbox Live. A key portion of the new ToS is that users can be banned based on the language they use while on these services.
The actual text of the ToS lives in the Code of Conduct section. It’s a list of ten items that, by agreeing to the terms, the user agrees to follow. The list includes illegal activity, anything that can bring harm to children, spam, offensive language and pornography, fraud, violence, and infringement upon the rights of others.
The issue folks are having with this new Code of Conduct is how vague it is with regards to language. Hate speech is covered under a separate category, as well as advocating violence and behavior such as stalking. So it’s unclear exactly what offensive language means, which gives much more leverage to Microsoft when it comes to enforcement.
Current speculation is this ToS (and others) are a response to recent legislation introduced that holds service providers more accountable for user activity (in the context of fighting human trafficking). Other news, such as Craigslist removing personals and certain spaces in Reddit shutting down.
Source: CSO Online