The move puts the technology giant on delicate terrain as it tries to lure people into trusting sensitive health information will be secure on an Internet prowled by hackers, scammers and data miners.

HealthVault lets people stockpile records such as blood tests, vaccinations and medical history and control access to select portions of the data to health care providers.

The permission of account holders is required for data transfers, and contracts with advertisers preclude "mining" the service for information.

Audits of HealthVault privacy protection performance will be conducted by an independent outside party, according to Microsoft.

"Audits are essential," said PatientPrivacyRights.Org founder Dr. Deborah Peel.

"Technology companies have got to do better than telling consumers to just trust us.' Consumers shouldn't trust anyone but themselves to decide who can see and use their sensitive health information."

Peel said Microsoft worked closely with her group and "set a new standard" for handling personal medical records online.

HealthVault is tied to a new health-focused search service unveiled last week by Microsoft.

"Our focus is simple: to empower people to lead healthy lives," said Microsoft health solutions group vice president Peter Neupert.

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