BOSTON – The privacy and consumer groups that lodged a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission against Microsoft last month, alleging that the company's Passport authentication service violates the FTC's unfair and deceptive practices statute, are set to amend their complaint Wednesday.
The amended complaint is intended to clarify the original and to provide supplementary information so that no stone is left unturned when the FTC investigates whether Microsoft's Passport service invades users' privacy, representatives of the groups said Tuesday.
The service, which is due to be part of Microsoft's upcoming Windows XP software when it launches Oct. 25, has been the subject of mounting ire recently as critics of the software behemoth say that Passport is another example of how the company bundles its applications and services to maintain its monopolist power.
The Passport authentication service allows users to store basic information about themselves so that they can visit multiple sites without having to re-enter their personal information. Microsoft already uses the technology on a variety of its Web properties, including the free e-mail service, Hotmail.
In their original complaint said that they were concerned that Passport had the potential to track and monitor Internet users, therefore presenting serious privacy concerns. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, Junkbusters and the Center for Media Education are among the groups that filed the complaint.
Passport is not only a central feature of Windows XP, but is also part of the company's .Net strategy, a nebulous plan dealing with Web services and personal information.
The complaint comes as yet another thorn in the software maker's side as it tries to boot Windows XP out the door while slogging through the U.S. government's antitrust case against it.
Although Microsoft announced last week that it will make some changes to Passport to ensure greater privacy, such as limiting the amount of personal information required to open a Passport account, representatives for the groups that filed the complaint were adamant Tuesday that the concessions did not go far enough.
"The concessions are nonresponsive," said Jason Catlett, president of privacy advocacy group Junkbusters Corp. "They do not deal with our complaint. On the contrary, we have found more and more evidence against Microsoft that it is deceptively [collecting consumer information]."
Microsoft's announcement last week did not amount to a concession and the amended complaint has nothing to do with changes to Passport, said Kate Rears, an EPIC policy analyst.
Representatives for the groups that filed the complaint against Microsoft will hold a press conference in at the National Press Club in at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday in Washington to further explain the amendments.
Copyright 2001 IDG News Service, International Data Group Inc. All rights reserved.
