HindustanTimes.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2003

China allowed controlled access to Windows source code

Press Trust of India
Beijing, September 28

Global software giant Microsoft has become the first software company to
allow China "controlled access" to the source code to its operating system,
a move that would further speed up the country's plan to construct secure
information infrastructure.

Under the government security programme (GSP) signed between Microsoft and
the Chinese government, the China Information Technology Security
Certification Centre (CNITSEC) and the seven partners now have controlled
access to Microsoft Windows source code through the CNITSEC source code
review lab set up in Beijing.

The source code review lab was officially opened in Beijing this week under
an agreement reached between Microsoft and the Chinese government earlier
this year.

The GSP is a global initiative that provides national governments with
managed access to Microsoft Windows source code and other technical
information they need to be confident in the security of the Windows
platform.

China is one of the first governments around the globe to sign the GSP
agreement.

"To study the source code of operating systems can play a key role in
strengthening security of information technologies and the opening of
CNITSEC source code review lab will further promote the study and
development of China's information security technologies," CNITSEC director
Wu Shizhong said.

The vice president of Microsoft and CEO of Microsoft Greater China, Tim Chen
said that to create a trustworthy computing environment is the goal of the
company.

© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2003.
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