Analysis of Proposed Consent Order to Aid Public Comment

Microsoft Corporation, File No. 012 3240


The Federal Trade Commission has accepted, subject to final approval, an agreement containing a consent order from Microsoft Corporation ("Microsoft").

The proposed consent order has been placed on the public record for thirty (30) days for receipt of comments by interested persons. Comments received during this period will become part of the public record. After thirty (30) days, the Commission will again review the agreement and the comments received, and will decide whether it should withdraw from the agreement and take appropriate action or make final the agreement's proposed order.

Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a myriad of software products, sells hardware devices, provides consulting services, trains and certifies system developers, and offers a variety of online services. This matter concerns allegedly false or misleading representations made in connection with three related Microsoft services: the Passport Single Sign-In service ("Passport"); Passport Express Purchase (generally referred to as "Passport Wallet"); and Kids Passport (referred to collectively as the "Passport services"). Passport is an online authentication service that allows consumers to sign in at multiple Web sites with a single username and password. Passport Wallet and Kids Passport are add-on services that provide online purchasing and parental consent services.

The Commission's proposed complaint alleges that Microsoft misrepresented:

(1) that it maintained a high level of online security by employing sufficient measures reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances to maintain and protect the privacy and confidentiality of personal information obtained from or about consumers in connection with the Passport and Passport Wallet services;

(2) that purchases made at a Passport Express Purchase site with Passport Wallet are safer or more secure than purchases made at the same Passport Express Purchase site without using the Passport Wallet;

(3) that Passport did not collect any personally identifiable information other than that described in its privacy policy, when, in fact, Passport collected, and maintained for a limited period of time, a personally identifiable record of the sites to which a Passport user signed in, along with the dates and times of sign in, which customer service representatives linked to a user's name in order to respond to a user's request for service; and
(4) that the Kids Passport service provided parents with control over the information their children could provide to participating Passport sites and the use of that information by such sites.

The proposed consent order applies to the collection and storage of personal information from or about consumers in connection with the advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale, or sale of Passport, Kids Passport, Passport Wallet, any substantially similar product or service, or any multisite online authentication service. It contains provisions designed to prevent Microsoft from engaging in practices similar to those alleged in the complaint in the future.

Specifically, Part I of the proposed order prohibits misrepresentations regarding Microsoft's information practices, including:

  • what personal information is collected from or about consumers;
     
  • the extent to which respondent's product or service will maintain, protect or enhance the privacy, confidentiality, or security of any personally identifiable information collected from or about consumers;
     
  • the steps respondent will take with respect to personal information it has collected in the event that it changes the terms of the privacy policy in effect at the time the information was collected;
     
  • the extent to which the service allows parents to control what the information their children can provide to participating sites or the use of that information by such sites; and
     
  • any other matter regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable information.

Part II of the proposed order requires Microsoft to establish and maintain a comprehensive information security program in writing that is reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of personal information collected from or about consumers. The security program must contain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to Microsoft's size and complexity, the nature and scope of its activities, and the sensitivity of the personal information collected from or about consumers. Specifically, the order requires Microsoft to:

  • designate an employee or employees to coordinate and be accountable for the information security program;
     
  • identify material internal and external risks to the security, confidentiality, and integrity of customer information that could result in the unauthorized disclosure, misuse, alteration, destruction, or other compromise of such information, and assess the sufficiency of any safeguards in place to control these risks. At a minimum, this risk assessment will include consideration of risks in each area of relevant operation, including: (1) employee training and management; (2) information systems, including network and software design, information processing, storage, transmission and disposal; and (3) prevention, detection, and response to attacks, intrusions, or other systems failures.
     
  • design and implement reasonable safeguards to control the risks identified through risk assessment, and regularly test or monitor the effectiveness of the safeguards' key controls, systems, and procedures.
     
  • evaluate and adjust its information security program in light of the results of testing and monitoring, any material changes to its operations or business arrangements, or any other circumstances that Microsoft knows or has reason to know may have a material impact on its information security program.

Part III of the proposed order requires that Microsoft obtain within one year, and on a biannual basis thereafter, an assessment and report from a qualified, objective, independent third-party professional, using procedures and standards generally accepted in the profession, certifying that: (1) Microsoft has in place a security program that provides protections that meet or exceed the protections required by Part II of this order; and (2) Microsoft's security program is operating with sufficient effectiveness to provide reasonable assurance that the security, confidentiality, and integrity of consumer's personal information has been protected.

Parts IV through VII of the proposed order are reporting and compliance provisions. Part IV requires Microsoft's retention of materials relating to its privacy and security representations and to its compliance with the order's information security program. Part V requires dissemination of the order now and in the future to persons with responsibilities relating to the subject matter of the order. Part VI ensures notification to the FTC of changes in corporate status. Part VII mandates compliance reports within sixty (60) days after service of the order and at such other times as the Federal Trade Commission may require. Part VII is a provision "sunsetting" the order after twenty (20) years, with certain exceptions.

The purpose of this analysis is to facilitate public comment on the proposed order. It is not intended to constitute an official interpretation of the agreement and proposed order or to modify their terms in any way.