A 20-page summary is available that outlines the iniquities of
"Passport, Hailstorm, Hotmail, the MSN network of Web sites, and the
product activation and registration procedures for Windows XP".
> EPIC ALERT
> Volume 8.14 July 31, 2001
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Published by the
> Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
> Washington, D.C.
>
> http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_8.14.html
...
>=======================================================================
>[1] Privacy Groups File FTC Complaint About Windows XP
>=======================================================================
>
>On July 26, EPIC and thirteen other public interest groups filed a
>formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission regarding Windows
>XP, Microsoft's new operating system. The complaint alleges that this
>system and associated services such as Hailstorm, Passport, and
>E-Wallet, are intended to profile, track, and monitor millions of
>Internet users, and therefore Microsoft is engaging in unfair and
>deceptive trade practices in violation of Section 5 of the Federal
>Trade Commission Act.
>
>The complaint examines in detail the privacy threats of Passport,
>Hailstorm, Hotmail, the MSN network of Web sites, and the product
>activation and registration procedures for Windows XP. It examines
>how each of these services collects and discloses detailed personal
>information about users without sufficient guarantees of privacy or
>security, and often without any real knowledge or consent. It
>demonstrates how Passport account information is shared among third
>party Web-sites; how Windows XP users are forced to create a Passport
>account to use Internet communications features (such as instant
>messaging); how Hailstorm essentially strips users of their right to
>control their personal information; how Hotmail users are
>automatically signed up for a Passport account without notice or even
>an opt-out facility; and how Microsoft misleads consumers when it says
>that information gathered through product activation will not be
>linked to personally identifiable information. The complaint
>concludes that the far-reaching and inter-connected nature of these
>Internet business activities, coupled with the extraordinary market
>dominance of Microsoft, constitutes a unique threat to the privacy of
>computer users.
>
>In terms of relief, the complainants request the FTC to initiate an
>investigation into the information collection practices of Windows XP
>and other services, and to order Microsoft to revise XP registration
>procedures; to block the sharing of Passport information among
>Microsoft properties absent explicit consent; to allow users of
>Windows XP to gain access to Microsoft web sites without disclosing
>their actual identity; and to enable users of Windows XP to easily
>integrate services provided by non-Microsoft companies for online
>payment, electronic commerce, and other Internet-based commercial
>activity.
>
>The complaint is available at:
>
> http://www.epic.org/privacy/consumer/MS_complaint.pdf
>
...
>=======================================================================
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>=======================================================================
>About EPIC
>=======================================================================
>
>The Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest
>research center in Washington, DC. It was established in 1994 to
>focus public attention on emerging privacy issues such as the Clipper
>Chip, the Digital Telephony proposal, national ID cards, medical
>record privacy, and the collection and sale of personal information.
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>
> ---------------------- END EPIC Alert 8.14 -----------------------
-- Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916 mailto:Roger.Clarke@xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/
Visiting Fellow Department of Computer Science The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA Information Sciences Building Room 211 Tel: +61 2 6125 3666
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.1 : Fri Aug 31 2001 - 03:10:02 EST