Looks like Microsoft may be backing down — somewhat — according to this posting on the Decentralization mail list by Robert Scoble. I take this with a grain of salt.
Keep in mind that this is a single developer at Microsoft saying these things. He or she doesn’t have final say.
I also have to note, if this posting is accurate, that Microsoft flat-out lied to me when it said that a user’s preference could not override the site owner’s meta-tags. I posted that response in good faith. I’ve sent email asking for an explanation.