U.S., Microsoft Settle Passport Probe
Reuters | at | by Mike
Microsoft agreed on Thursday to submit to 20 years of U.S. government oversight of its online identity service in order to settle charges that it misled consumers about security and privacy standards. Microsoft's Passport service, which aims to make online shopping easier by storing passwords and credit-card numbers, came under scrutiny by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last year after privacy groups said it would give the software giant unprecedented control over users' personal information.
A Microsoft official said there were "lessons that can be learned" from the FTC action and that the company would improve its description and disclosure of Passport's features.