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IE10 Will Have 'Do Not Track' On By Default

Posted by Soulskill on from the stop-or-i'll-say-stop-again dept.

An anonymous reader writes "As Microsoft released the preview of the next version of its Internet Explorer browser, news that in Windows 8 the browser will be sending a 'Do Not Track' signal to Web sites by default must have shaken online advertising giants. 'Consumers can change this default setting if they choose,' Microsoft noted, but added that this decision reflects their commitment to providing Windows customers an experience that is 'private by default' in an era when so much user data is collected online.' This step will make Internet Explorer 10 the first web browser with DNT on by default. And while the websites are not required to comply with the users' do-not-track request, the DNT initiative — started by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission — is making good progress."

5 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. OK but... by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's nice on the one hand that Microsoft is making the privacy option the default, but if DNT is unenforceable, wouldn't "DNT by default" give certain entities an excuse to ignore the DNT flag by default?

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    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    1. Re:OK but... by NatasRevol · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I know language is a dynamic thing, but wow.

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      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  2. This is a direct assault on Google's revenue by RobinH · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google makes it money from tracking users and selling customized ads. Google would look bad if they didn't honor DNT. Microsoft is setting the standard that DNT should be on by default, which reduces the ability for Google to track you all over the web. MS is not an ad company, so they really won't feel this as much.

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    "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
  3. Re:Who's DNT are they honoring? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is more of an anti-google move in the guise of privacy protection. They want Google ads to be less targeted to hurt their competition.

  4. Re:Who's DNT are they honoring? by mystikkman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sorry, but Windows has phoned home for at least 10 years, and sent data without user knowledge to 3rd party companies that could be traced to MS. IE may claim to have DNT on by default, but let's be clear. You will still be sending all kinds of tracking information to MS.

    Seems to me to be a ploy to make money selling data to Google perhaps that Google gets now on their own.

    This post is a perfect example of horseshit that regularly goes for +5 informative on Slashdot. Websites like Google track you and follow you around the web with ads and customizes the ads to your browsing history. MS? Does it really even know that you visited some site with Google ads on them(most of the websites around)?

    > You will still be sending all kinds of tracking information to MS

    What kinds of tracking information???