Microsoft cuts Passport rigmarole

Microsoft has reduced the information required by users on the sign-in page of Passport, the controversial secure sign-on service.

Passport users currently have to fill-in six compulsory fields out of 13 on the company's secure sign-in page. This will be reduced to two fields, name and password, between now and February.

The authentication service has been widely criticised by Microsoft watchers, who fear that it will play a part in allowing the company to use its desktop monopoly to build a dominant position in the web services space.

The new version of Windows, XP, allows users to log on to Passport directly when they log in to Windows.

There were also fears that some of the information collected via Passport could be abused in some way, but Microsoft has always insisted that it will not allow this to happen.

Microsoft has denied that the changes are a response to this widespread criticism, insisting instead that they are the result of an on-going reassessment process.

The changes may also have been made to adapt Passport for the mobile environment, where no user could be expected to fill in six fields.