Microsoft spells out anti-tracking tool in IE9

Microsoft today said that the next major milestone of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) will let users determine who tracks their movement and behavior online, its response to increasing calls for additional consumer control over the practice.

Privacy experts applauded Microsoft's move.

"This is a good development in the discussion of online tracking,' said Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), a digital rights advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

Dubbed "Tracking Protection," the feature will debut in the IE9 release candidate, slated to ship early next year, said Dean Hachamovitch, the Microsoft executive who heads IE development.

Tracking Protection will be opt-in -- it's off by default -- and will rely on published lists that selectively block third-party sites and content embedded in Web sites.

"Consumers have very little awareness of who tracks their online activities," said Hachamovitch in a Webcast with reporters early Tuesday. "We're taking another step today with this new privacy feature."

:story: Full story: Computerworld