Participating governments are now provided with access to source code

Jul 1, 2014 14:06 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has struggled to strengthen security and privacy in Windows 8 and 8.1, but this didn't stop some security experts and government bodies across the world to accuse the company of implementing back doors in the operating system.

Even though the company already had a program to allow partner governments to review source code of its products, Microsoft today announced the opening of its first so-called Transparency Center that's specifically built to allow authorities across the world to check its products for back doors.

“I’m pleased to announce that today we opened the first Microsoft Transparency Center, on our Redmond, Wash. campus. Our Transparency Centers provide participating governments with the ability to review source code for our key products, assure themselves of their software integrity, and confirm there are no ‘back doors,’” Matt Thomlinson, vice president, Trustworthy Computing Security, Microsoft, said.

More such transparency centers are expected to open in the coming months and years, Thomlinson explained, as Microsoft continues its efforts to provide partners across the world with access to its source code and assure everyone that all its products are perfectly secure and back door-free.

“The Redmond location is the first in a number of regional transparency centers that we plan to open. We continue to make progress on the Transparency Center in Brussels that I announced in January, with other locations soon to be announced,” he said.

Several governments across the world have already accused Microsoft for bundling such codes into its products in order to be capable of tracking their activity and stealing state secrets.

China is one of these countries and as a result, the Beijing central government has even decided to ban Windows 8 on the computers used by several departments, choosing instead to develop its own open-source platform in order to step away from Microsoft software.

There's no doubt that the PRISM scandal which also involved Microsoft's name several times also affected the company's image, as the Softies have often been accused of collaborating with the NSA and the FBI to spy on its users.

Leaked documents suggested that Microsoft has even provided US agencies with unlimited access to its user database, but the company has always denied such claims, explaining that it's only sharing personal details based on legal orders.

These new transparency centers can really help Microsoft repair its image, but it remains to be seen if they can restore the lost trust of governments across the world who moved away from its software due to back door claims.