Microsoft Making ‘Do Not Track’ Default for IE 10

[siljaline]

Microsoft announced Thursday that the next version of its browser, IE 10, will ship with the controversial “Do Not Track” feature turned on by default, a first among major browsers, creating a potential threat to online advertising giants. That includes one of Microsoft’s chief rivals — Google. The change could also threaten the still-nascent privacy standard, and prompt an ad industry revolt against it.

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[Hungry Man]

Eh, I guess that's alright. I think people don't realize that webpages are driven by ads and ads use tracking to make money. Obviously you should always have the ability to opt out of this... but if the world were running adblock the web would not survive.

Of course, DNT isn't enforced so anyone can ignore the header.

[dw426]

Originally Posted by Hungry Man

Eh, I guess that's alright. I think people don't realize that webpages are driven by ads and ads use tracking to make money. Obviously you should always have the ability to opt out of this... but if the world were running adblock the web would not survive.

Of course, DNT isn't enforced so anyone can ignore the header.

I thought IE9 was the sole one actually able to enforce it? I'll grant you that blocking ads world-wide would all but bring the web to a screeching halt. However, if advertisers were not so obtrusive about the issue, blocking would be far less needed. Kill the television-like Flash ads and other major disrupting forms, and find a way to prevent malware from using them, and sure, I'll drop Adblock right away. Anymore, ad-blockers are more a part of a security arsenal than an annoyance killer.

[Hungry Man]

Browsers can't enforce DNT. They send the DNT header and then, if the ad agency wants to comply, they'll not track you. There's no legal necessity yet for anyone to comply.

However, if advertisers were not so obtrusive about the issue, blocking would be far less needed.

I agree, which is why I like Adblock Plus and its whitelist.

[siljaline]

Advancing Consumer Trust and Privacy: Internet Explorer in Windows 8

Defining DNT for Websites Sending a DNT signal from a browser is only part of the process. Obviously, for DNT to be effective, it is also important that websites have a common understanding of what the consumer expects when their browser sends the DNT signal. As well as engineering the world’s most used browser, Microsoft also owns and manages a growing advertising business – including a network that provides advertising to our own and other Web properties, so we have a unique perspective into this discussion.

At the moment there is not yet an agreed definition of how to respond to a DNT signal, and we know that a uniform, industry-wide response will be the best way to provide a consistent consumer experience across the Web. We also know from experiences – such as the P3P standard recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) – that initiatives to advance privacy are much less effective if other industry leaders don’t join in adopting the approach.

With this in mind, we are doing two things. First, we are committed to using our positions on the relevant industry, government and standards bodies to push for a clear action for advertising networks to respect a browser DNT signal and opt users out of behavioral advertising. Second, as we announced in February, Microsoft Advertising intends to treat the do-not-track browser signal as an opt-out of behavioral advertising under the Digital Advertising Alliance’s self-regulatory program. Microsoft does not yet respond to the DNT signal, but we are actively working with other advertising industry leaders on what an implementation plan for DNT might look like, with a goal of announcing more details about our plans in the coming months.

Our decision to turn on DNT by default in IE10 for Windows 8 should be seen as part of this discussion, as it helps to provide clarity on one side of the discussion – when and how browsers send the DNT signal – and because it advances the idea of privacy as the default state.

Windows Release Preview: The Sixth IE10 Platform Preview

“Do Not Track” on By Default in IE in Windows 8
In Windows 8, IE10 sends a “Do Not Track” signal to Web sites by default. Consumers can change this default setting if they choose. This decision reflects our commitment to providing Windows customers an experience that is “private by default” in an era when so much user data is collected online. IE10 is the first browser to send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal by default.

By changing the default Do Not Track setting in IE 10, we are broadening our commitment to providing consumers a great experience in Windows. And in the event companies don’t respect the Do Not Track signal, IE 10 will continue to include Tracking Protection list support to help consumers block unwanted tracking with two clicks. While some people will say that this change is too much and others that it is not enough, we think it is progress and that consumers will favor products designed with their privacy in mind over products that are designed primarily to gather their data.

[Modena]

Originally Posted by Hungry Man

Eh, I guess that's alright. I think people don't realize that webpages are driven by ads and ads use tracking to make money. Obviously you should always have the ability to opt out of this... but if the world were running adblock the web would not survive.

Of course, DNT isn't enforced so anyone can ignore the header.

I don't mind being shown some non-intrusive ads, however I absolutely refuse to be tracked. Considering that everyone will do it without my permission, I have no qualms whatsoever about blocking ads and trackers.

[siljaline]

Unfortunately, you cannot allow ads and not be tracked at the same time. When IE10 is rolled out, we shall see how this all pans out.
Tracking Protection Lists for IE9 work generally well - given their inherent limitations. There is no way not to be tracked somehow as none of this will ever be infallable.

Originally Posted by Modena

I don't mind being shown some non-intrusive ads, however I absolutely refuse to be tracked. Considering that everyone will do it without my permission, I have no qualms whatsoever about blocking ads and trackers.