Microsoft may face EU fines

The European Commission says Microsoft could be fined by individual EU states if it's found guilty of breaching data protection law.

The commission is investigating a complaint from a Dutch MEP about Microsoft's free .NET passport system.

The system collects users' personal information, which the commission says may break data protection laws.

Frits Bolkestein, the commissioner for the internal market, says the commission is aware of the potential problem and is looking into it "as a matter of priority".