14 DAY TRIAL // The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has sent a letter to Microsoft, asking the Redmond-based technology giant to let the “Do Not Track” option in Internet Explorer 10 turned off by default.
Microsoft announced last month that its latest Internet Explorer 10 available in Windows 8 would come with the “Do Not Track” feature enabled by default, which could block advertisers from collecting users’ data.
This means that advertisers won’t be able to retrieve relevant data of 43 percent of the Internet users in the United States, The Register reports quoting StatCounter figures.
“If Microsoft moves forward with this default setting, it will undercut the effectiveness of our members’ advertising and, as a result, drastically damage the online experience by reducing the Internet content and offerings that such advertising supports. This result will harm consumers, hurt competition, and undermine American innovation and leadership in the internet economy,” the letter reads.
Among those who requested Microsoft to turn off “Do Not Track,” it’s worth mentioning Ford Motor Company, Intel, IBM, Dell, AT&T, McDonalds and Nestle.
Mozilla, the creator of Firefox, has also criticized Microsoft’s decision to ship Internet Explorer 10 with a factory-enabled “Do Not Track” option, but the Redmond-based software firm explained that this is only a measure to ensure users’ privacy. ANA, however, does not agree with this.
“Microsoft appears determined to stop the collection of web viewing data. That is unacceptable. The result of such a large percentage of data collection being blocked seriously undermines consumers’ interests by potentially diminishing the robust content and services available over the Internet,” ANA also explained in the letter.