Microsoft buffs up security following privacy concerns

Following concerns that government agents can listen in on Xbox Live and other game communication channels, Microsoft has issued a new security measure to bring its users peace of mind.

The latest update to Microsoft accounts lets users see a history of their logins and any other account activity, so they can see first-hand if anything fishy's been going on. Users will be able to check every activity they've done - from an unsuccessful password attempt to a security preference change - as well as what browser, device and location it was done from. There's even a "this wasn't me" button one can use to highlight suspicious activity.

"Our goal with this new experience is to give you peace of mind when everything is going well, and give you actionable information if there's questionable activity that concerns you," Microsoft noted on its official blog.

Additionally, users can request a recovery code if they lose access to multiple pieces of login info at the same time - as may be the case if they move and change jobs then suddenly find themselves with a new phone number and e-mail address. These are a last resort though, and you can only keep one of these at a time.

Finally, users can select how they'd like to receive security alerts, which can now be linked to a phone number or e-mail of your choosing.