14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is gearing up for the release of a new flavor of its Internet Explorer browser in Windows 8, namely IE10, but is also set to deliver enhancements to the already available versions of the application.
One of the focuses of the current versions of Internet Explorer is to enhance the security. And by security Microsoft also understands user’s privacy.
This week, the attention is on privacy, as the world is preparing to celebrate the Data Privacy Day on January 28.
Thus, Microsoft is set to provide us with additional info on its perspective on privacy and on how it is set to ensure it and the safety of its customers.
Data protection and privacy are also being dissected at the Digital Life Design (DLD) Conference in Munich, where business, creative, and social leaders meet to discuss on areas ranging from innovation and digital media to culture and science.
Dean Hachamovitch, corporate vice president, Internet Explorer, was present at the event as well, and he stressed the fact that “privacy is a worldwide conversation that, at the same time, involves intensely local expectations and sensibilities,” Microsoft's Ryan Gavin notes in a recent blog post.
Hachamovitch “explored the complexity of online privacy – particularly in light of emerging trends such as the convergence of Web sites and applications – and provided a progress report on the state of online privacy protections.”
One key factor to ensure progress in this area is to engage local groups that have a good understanding of local privacy. Internet Explorer 9 comes with a technology called Tracking Protection, which is one of the ways in which Microsoft offers help in this regard.
“Tracking Protection is critical since of all the potential privacy issues, being tracked across sites as you browse is the one that comes up most consistently,” Ryan Gavin continues.
“Tracking Protection actually blocks the information that some sites can use to track you, relying on the information in Tracking Protection Lists. It enforces specific user preferences. You can try it out on the IE Test Drive site, with an example of ‘tracking pixels’ or ‘web beacons’.”
He also explains that Tracking Protection and “Do Not Track” functionality are complimentary, and that Microsoft is focused on advancing Tracking Protection, as it is not clear yet in what way sites honor the request of Do Not Track.
Tracking Protection is being developed as a standard at the W3C. The Technology is enjoying encouraging momentum, the Redmond-based software giant notes.
“When we first released IE9, five tracking protection lists were available. Now, nine months later, there are over twenty lists worldwide from six different groups,” Ryan Gavin states.
Three new Tracking Protection Lists are being released for Europe this week. Leading privacy advocates Simon Davies and Alexander Hanff of Privacy International are making the move. Additional info on these TPLs can be found on the privacyonline.org.uk website.
Internet Explorer 9 is available for download from Softpedia via this link.