Buffeted by criticism of the way it handles privacy and security matters, Microsoft is trying to batten down the hatches on both fronts in simultaneous efforts.
The company is spending February auditing its software for security flaws and putting more than 8,500 developers through training in secure programming. At the same time, it is focusing just as seriously on the closely related issue of data privacy, an area in which analysts and watchdog groups give it mixed grades.
The software maker is aiming to ensure that its existing privacy policy is airtight and that any changes in software or Web site security don't infringe on the privacy of customers' data, said Richard Purcell, Microsoft's director of corporate privacy. The company's privacy policy extends to customers registering Microsoft software, or to those signing up for the MSN Internet service or the Passport authentication service, Purcell said.
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