Microsoft has pledged to keep DNT on by default on IE 10

Nov 17, 2012 10:32 GMT  ·  By

The “Do Not Track” option is turned on by default on Internet Explorer 10 and while this is pretty worrying for online advertisers, end users are absolutely delighted with it.

In addition, privacy advocates applaud Microsoft’s pledge to keep DNT enabled in its browser, explaining that consumers need to be protected while browsing the Internet.

Jim Brock, a former Yahoo! executive, told mybroadband.co.za that users are sometimes provided with wrong ads, just because of a simple web search.

“That is one of the scariest things, and it shakes people’s faith in the marketing industry,” Brock was quoted as saying.

“There is very little protection for targeting based on health conditions. This is information that can get in the hands of insurance companies and employers who might not use it in a way we would expect.” Internet Explorer 10, the latest version of Microsoft’s in-house browser that comes preinstalled on Windows 8 workstations, boasts a Do Not Track option turned on by default. Although in early development stages, the Windows 7 flavor of the browser adopts the same strategy and keeps the feature on for all systems.

While Microsoft has been heavily criticized for its decision to deliver the browser with a factory-enabled DNT, the company has always defended itself by claiming that users actually need such a feature to maintain their privacy while browsing the web.

What’s more, users are also provided with step-by-step instructions on how to disable the feature once they load Do Not track for the first time.

“IE10 continues our focus on helping consumers protect their privacy, which started in IE9 with features such as Tracking Protection. Microsoft's customers have been clear that they want more control over how their personal information is used online,” Microsoft said in a press release earlier this week.