Microsoft gets a pretty bad wrap for it’s browsers. IE (specifically version 6) has been a thorn in the side of every web developer for years. With that type of history it’s sometimes hard to give MS credit when they do right.
In IE 10 ‘do not track’ will be enabled by default, and I think that’s the exact right thing to do for users.
DNT will be enabled in the “Express Settings” portion of the Windows 8 set-up experience. There, customers will also be given a “Customize” option, allowing them to easily switch DNT “off” if they’d like.
I know what DNT is, and I’ve never bothered to turn it on. I even know that I’d prefer not to be tracked. If ‘power users’ like me just can’t be bothered to even find the feature and turn it on, you know that non-tech users don’t have it on either. I’d be surprised if they even know it exists. During the set up process users are presented with an opportunity to turn it off if they don’t mind being tracked.
Yes this sucks for advertisers, but MS’s customers aren’t advertisers. They are doing the right thing for their customers.
2 responses to “IE is Doing the Right Thing with Do Not Track”
They’re only doing this to thumb their nose at Google. Microsoft’s loyalties will always side with their Enterprise customers and against their competitors, never with the end user.
You’ve got the MS of 2 years ago pegged, but I’m not sure that’s the same MS of today. I think we’re starting to see a new side of MS that may just be great for users. Most enterprise doesn’t like the new Metro (yeah I know we’re not supposed to call it that) interface and MS has made it so that you have to hit that first on boot. There are no enterprise level setting to change it.
MS is interesting again. Have to give it a few years to really know which of us is right.