Empower Users to Report Inappropriate Messages in Microsoft Teams with Microsoft 365 Compliance Center

Introduction:

Microsoft 365 Compliance Center is soon introducing a powerful new feature to allow users to report inappropriate or concerning messages within Microsoft Teams. This feature will benefit Communication Compliance customers, enabling them to maintain policy compliance while adapting to new ways of working. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of this new feature, how it will affect your organization, and the steps you need to take to prepare for its implementation.

Feature Rollout:

Starting mid-June, the "Report a Concern" feature will be available to Communication Compliance customers, with a complete rollout expected by mid-June. This organization-wide messaging policy allows users to report concerning content within Teams channels, groups, meetings, and private chat messages, all while maintaining user privacy.

Benefits for Your Organization:

Many organizations have people in place to manage workplace policies and engage employees, students, and others in addressing concerns about harassment or other conduct. However, users may not always know who to contact when faced with these issues. The new "Report a Concern" feature in Microsoft Teams simplifies this process, empowering users to report inappropriate content directly within the platform.

Privacy Protection:

To protect the privacy of users reporting messages, none of the chat participants will be informed or made aware that the message was reported. Once a user submits a Teams chat message for review, it is copied to the "User-reported messages" policy in Communication Compliance. A designated Communication Compliance investigator within the customer organization can then perform standard remediation actions on the message, such as notifying the user, escalating for investigation, or removing the message from the Teams chat or channel.

Preparing for the New Feature:

This capability is rolling out to all customers with the required Communication Compliance licenses and will be enabled by default. To control this feature, you can manage Teams messaging policies in the Teams admin center. Users in your organization will automatically receive the global policy unless you create and assign a custom policy. To enable or disable this feature, edit the settings in the global policy or create and assign custom policies as needed.

Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance:

Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance provides tools to help organizations detect regulatory compliance (e.g., SEC or FINRA) and business conduct violations, such as the sharing of sensitive information or inappropriate content. Designed with privacy in mind, usernames are pseudonymized by default, role-based access controls are built in, investigators are opted in by an admin, and audit logs are in place to ensure user-level privacy.

Investigate Alerts:

To investigate issues detected by your policies, review alerts in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. There are several areas within the communication compliance section that can help you quickly investigate alerts depending on your preferred alert grouping. These include the Communication Compliance policy page, Alerts, and Reports.

User-Reported Messages in Microsoft Teams:

This feature, which began rolling out in May 2022, enables users to self-report inappropriate internal personal and group chat messages in Microsoft Teams. Enabled by default in the Teams admin center, the "Report a Concern" option allows users to submit messages for review by communication compliance reviewers. During the review process, reviewers can perform standard remediation actions on the message, including removing it from the Teams chat.

Conclusion:

The new "Report a Concern" feature in Microsoft Teams, powered by Microsoft 365 Compliance Center, empowers users to take an active role in fostering a safe and compliant work environment. By enabling users to report inappropriate messages directly within the platform, organizations can streamline policy compliance and enhance workplace safety. Prepare your organization for this new feature by managing Teams messaging policies and keeping your teams informed about the benefits and responsibilities