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Microsoft will give governments and international organizations access to the programming code underlying several versions of its Windows operating system to allay security concerns, the company announced Tuesday.

Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have already signed up for Microsoft's new Government Security Program (GSP) and Microsoft is in talks with over 20 countries about the program, the Redmond, Washington, software maker said in a statement.

The program covers current versions, service packs, and beta releases of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows CE and offers free access to the source code and other technical information governments need to conduct "robust security reviews" of Microsoft products, the company said.

In addition, government IT professionals can visit Microsoft headquarters to review Windows development, testing, and deployment processes and talk to Microsoft security staff, the software maker said. The program is open to national governments and international organizations only, not to state, provincial, or local governments or their agencies, Microsoft said.

Making Changes

Governments signing up to the security program will be able to build systems that offer the high levels of security required for issues as large as national security, Microsoft said. However, government users will not be allowed to make modifications to the code or compile the source code into Windows programs themselves, Simon Conant, a Microsoft security specialist based in Munich, said.

"Governments under the GSP are allowed to view the code in a debugger, but not compile, redistribute, or actually modify the code," Conant, said. A debugger is a tool used to evaluate software code.

Changes in the code are possible, he said. Microsoft will work closely with governments to make sure that security concerns are handled, but modification and compiling of the code will remain at Microsoft, he said.

Looking at Linux

The announcement comes as Microsoft faces a growing battle against open-source software, primarily the Linux operating system, edging into government administration all around the globe. For governments on tight IT budgets, however, cost rather than security is the primary reason to switch to open-source software.

An open-source license allows users to access and modify the source code. Government users in Finland, Germany, France, Taiwan, and the Philippines have adopted open-source software or are looking into doing that.

In a statement, Microsoft cites a Russian official who says the unavailability of source code and other technical information limited the desire of the Russian government to use Microsoft products. The GSP agreement is a significant step in addressing the Russian government's IT security concerns, according to the official.

Opening Windows

Microsoft already shares Windows code with governments and companies under different programs that are part of its Shared Source Initiative announced in 2001. The software maker last year announced the Trustworthy Computing Initiative, a focus on secure software of which the GSP is an important part, the company said.

Another Microsoft source-licensing scheme for government customers is the Government Source Licensing Program. The GSLP is open to all government agencies with a set minimum number of Microsoft end-users in about 30 nations. Microsoft supports GSLP customers, but does not have a partnership with those and does not as a matter of course invite GSLP customers to its headquarters.

By contrast, Microsoft has identified over 60 nations that are currently eligible to participate in the GSP program, including countries such as China, Brazil and India. Eligibility depends largely on national intellectual property laws, the company said. Furthermore, a government does not have to be a Microsoft customer to qualify for the GSP program, which Microsoft sees as an interactive security partnership.

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