He is quick to add, however, that other Microsoft services using Passport could do so, including MSN, Hotmail and the instant-messaging service.

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When the federal government shut down in 1995-1996 because of a budget standoff between Republicans and President Clinton, the GOP faced a huge backlash when Americans were unable to access basic government services, such as obtaining a passport or visiting the national zoo.

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Lots of services offered by its online-access business, MSN, use Passport, such as MoneyCentral and a digital photo site.

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Click it and you are urged to sign up for Passport, a key repository of personal information used by Microsoft's Hailstorm Web-based services.

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