Internet Explorer 10 to Have 'Do Not Track' as Default

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

IE 10 is the first browser to have DNT enabled by default.

Yesterday, Microsoft officially announced the availability of Windows 8 Release Preview. After three months of Consumer Preview, the company was ready to release the final pre-release version of Windows 8. Understandably, the fact that Windows 8 had hit RP got a lot of attention from the tech press and blogs. However, this also meant that another important thing was somewhat overlooked: The fact that Windows 8's IE 10 will be the first browser to have 'Do Not Track' turned on by default.

However, it seems the ad industry isn't too pleased with the move. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Digital Advertising Alliance (of which Microsoft is a member) says Microsoft's decision to ship IE 10 with DNT activated by default is contradictory to what the Alliance agreed with the White House back in February. WSJ reports that the industry agreed to honor "do not track" as long as it is not a default setting. Stu Ingis, general counsel of the ad group, said Microsoft's decision was concerning and highlighted the group's position on supporting consumer choice as opposed to the choice of the browser company.

On the flip side of things, Chief Privacy Officer at Microsoft, Brendan Lynch, spoke about the decision yesterday and described it as part of Microsoft's effort to advance trust and consumer privacy online.

"We've made today's decision because we believe in putting people first. We believe that consumers should have more control over how information about their online behavior is tracked, shared and used,"he said, later adding that the company hopes consumers will make the conscious choice to share this information for a more personalized experience.

"Online advertising is an important part of the economy supporting publishers and content owners and helping businesses of all shapes and sizes to go to market. There is also value for consumers in personalized experiences and receiving advertising that is relevant to them."

Would you switch 'Do Not Track' off in favor of personalized ads? Let us know in the comments below.

Further Reading

Wall Street Journal

Microsoft On the Issues

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Jane McEntegart
43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • juan83
    After "Micro$oft is banning third parties to block the start menu button" may they do the same with browsers because they believe IE 10 won't be a pain in the ass? :D

    I wonder when i'm gonna read on wikipedia: "Micro$oft was an OS company for PCs, now is into tablet only with its new version of windows called 8, they just give a damn about users and do what they want.."
    Reply
  • theconsolegamer
    .... do M$ really think people care about IE? What a joke!



    @juan83

    That looks like a great article for Unclyclopedia!!!
    Reply
  • NiPPonD3nZ0
    If i'm honest, i would prefer NOT TO SEE ADS at all... I NEVER look at them, they are useless and annoying...

    Let it be OFF by default. I Would turn it off anyway!
    Reply
  • elbert
    Finally another web navigation is stepping up to firefox + noscript level of privacy. Well I may think about IE if they do a good job in implementation.
    Reply
  • Zetto
    "Personalized" ads? Give me a break. I'LL decide what I want to see thank you very much, and thank you very much Microsoft.
    About time we get a little credit for being able to make our own decisions, not some brain dead marketing group.
    Should be banned altogether, tbh, never mind off by default.
    Reply
  • Shin-san
    Nice. Also, they are going to have an integrated version of Flash that's crippled so that it won't display popups and is hard for advertisers to use. IE10 is looking to be starting some trends.
    Reply
  • DRosencraft
    Would I switch DNT off? Never. That's why this whole DNT thing is such a big deal to the ad agencies. The vast majority of users wouldn't even know what DNT is, much less how to turn it off (or turn it on). Whatever default setting it has is most likely the way it would always remain on that computer. This is a simple step by MSFT, and ultimately doesn't matter tremendously for me since I would turn it off anyway, but it's a good direction.

    As an aside to the whiners, IE10 will be the next web browser, meaning it's in 8 and will be available for download for 7 and other OS. So, let's just be honest here. There are some people who will complain about any and everything MSFT does regardless of the merits or facts at hand.
    Reply
  • monsta
    I actually like ie 10 , looks great and works well on Win 8
    Reply
  • Shin-san
    DRosencraftWould I switch DNT off? Never. That's why this whole DNT thing is such a big deal to the ad agencies. The vast majority of users wouldn't even know what DNT is, much less how to turn it off (or turn it on). Whatever default setting it has is most likely the way it would always remain on that computer. This is a simple step by MSFT, and ultimately doesn't matter tremendously for me since I would turn it off anyway, but it's a good direction.As an aside to the whiners, IE10 will be the next web browser, meaning it's in 8 and will be available for download for 7 and other OS. So, let's just be honest here. There are some people who will complain about any and everything MSFT does regardless of the merits or facts at hand.The best thing about this is that it's one of those things (like IE copying tabbed browsing) that the other browser makers would probably end up copying
    Reply
  • drwho1
    I don't use IE anymore .... but this version appears to deserve a look.
    As for Windows 8.... No Thank You.
    Reply