Microsoft talks IE10, "Do Not Track" will be enabled by default

[Rick]

Yesterday, Microsoft posted an interesting look at the current state of Internet Explorer 10 on its MSDN blog. In the article, readers will discover that Microsoft is touting a faster and more fluid experience, natural touch and gesture control, metro-influenced design elements and -- to the dismay of advertisers everywhere -- "Do Not Track" will be enabled by default.

For starters, IE10 will better appeal to the fine sensibilities of touchscreen users. Unsurprisingly, the browser will be bundled with Windows 8 -- an operating system which is expected to be found on tablets and other touchscreen devices. As a result, Microsoft is touting its very own MSGesture touch gesture API which was inspired by Surface.

Other mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS include their own touch gesture APIs, but Microsoft appears to be improving upon those systems with a richer set of capabilities. IE10 will also come bundled with a touch-optimized version of Adobe Flash.

One of the most interesting elements about IE10 though, is its bold decision to turn on Do Not Track by default. 

DNT, for those who aren't familiar with the idea, is an evolving, voluntary standard (or should I say set of non-standards?) by which users can opt out of web-based tracking mechanisms via a web browser setting.

There does not seem to be a central consensus on how to do this best. Firefox, for example, requires the website you're visiting to support and respect DNT while Chrome implements it only through an extension which prevents cookies from being persistent. Internet Explorer, on the other hand, takes Mozilla's voluntary approach but supplements it with a curated DNT protection list which blocks untrusted websites that don't honor DNT.

IE's respectively heavy-handed approach to DNT is one of two reasons why Microsoft's decision to turn it on by default is so fascinating. 

The second reason? According to the Wall Street Journal, by enabling DNT out of the box, Microsoft is breaking an agreement made with the White House by the Digital Advertising Alliance -- a consortium which includes Microsoft as a member. The DAA is likely concerned about Microsoft's unilateral decision because tracking is valuable to advertisers and advertising, as we all know, is what makes much of the web go 'round.

Interested in trying it out? The latest version of IE10 is bundled with the Windows 8 Release Preview that was made publicly available on May 31. Unfortunately, IE10 Release Preview 6 is only available for Windows 8.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/48855-microsoft-talks-ie10-do-not-track-will-be-enabled-by-default.html

 

[Guest]

My chrome did it in 18.46..... now sure how that video calls chrome slower and if it is its probably microsoft making it that way as a advantage, specially as I can't find how it will be slower when browsing or what ever in a browser.

 

[Guest]

Did another test on IE9 .... amazing results literally : Internet Explorer 9 Score
6.94 Seconds

 

[killeriii]

"IE10 Release Preview 6 is only available for Windows 8"

lol, so much for that.

 

[Chazz]

I love how the tone of this shuns Microsoft for thinking about users privacy and how google took a lot of flac for merging their users data with all of their services, obviously with advertising in mind. On both sides of the coin no one can win.

 

[Guest]

Is that bechmark developed by microsoft?

 

[Chazz]

The benchmark is using future web standards. I don't think it matters who develops them. Its using html5, not any Microsoft developed non standards.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I love how the tone of this shuns Microsoft for thinking about users privacy

I totally agree

 

[Ma_ga]

IE did something good after all this time, shame that the rest of the browser ins't good enought.

 

[Guest]

QUOTE: "Doh! Your browser doesn't seem to support Silverlight or HTML5 video or we don't have an HTML5 video for this one."

Too bad for you, one less person interested in IE 10 and windows 8.

 

[Marnomancer]

Somehow, I'm not buying that.

 

[Guest]

IE has always been my goto browser. I've tried em all and all have their strengths and weaknesses, but IE is the best all around imo. Those who trash IE or have issues with it are entitled to their oppinions, but I've had almost no issues with any iteration the last decade. I'm a very demanding user, for the record.

Have fun with the flame bait. smh lol

 

[amstech]

Uncle Sam tracks everything.
All the time.

 

[Guest]

The default Internet Explorer version which I assume is
embedded with Mango 7.5 on my new HTC Titan 11
smartphone which I'm collecting this coming week will
have DNT also. If not, updating I.E. I hope will not be
an issue.
I eagerly await Windows 8 for the desktop, having never
had issues with XP, Vista or 7.
For me Microsoft really does tick all the right boxes in terms
of hardware compatibility and now privacy, security and
synchronicity.

 

[Guest]

QUOTE:

"Somehow, I'm not buying that."

Exactly I won't be buying it (win8)..

P.S>

Does anyone remember or does MS forget that during the age of vista %68 of users stayed with XP, the mistakes of vista are different than Win 8 obviously but the mistakes that MS repeat are the same it is called arrogance.

 

[Guest]

The tech media is obviously going to put a negative slant on Microsoft doing this, since they all reply on advertising revenue for keeping their websites running and bills paid. Personally I'm completely in favour of Microsoft doing this.

 

[Archean]

At least won't have to worry about all those pesky cookies

On a serious note, I am more concerned about 'paid search' which Google is now touting (after being vociferously against it for many years), I think once that becomes a norm 'buying' your way to top of search lists may kill the search in the way we know it.

 

[fimbles]

IE9 vista x64

Charlkboard bench: 6.86 seconds.

 

[psycros]

Once again, this is Microsoft thinking their much more clever than they are. Their hoping to draw in the growing number of users concerned with privacy issues while simultaneously boosting Bing ad revenue. After all, they can say in their best gangster voice, "it'd be a real shame if alla dose people wasn't seeing youz ads alla sudden, "do-not-track" being the default an' all. Of course since Bing is the default <I>search</I>, well...". Too bad most people go to Google.com every time they want to search, because unlike Bing and the rest Google actually gives relevant results. Microsoft's biggest opportunity is actually in shopping search, if their smart enough to keep displaying ALL results and not just the paid ones. Google is shooting itself in the foot with this latest money grab, probably their biggest mistake since trying to ram Google+ down their user's throats.