Slowly but surely, Microsoft is becoming one of the good guys in the consumer space. Internet Explorer 10 will be the first browser to have Do Not Track turned on by default. That’s about as good as it gets. In case you need a little help setting it all up, Microsoft has offered a helping hand.
Brendon Lynch, Chief Privacy Officer for Microsoft, cares deeply about your privacy. That’s why he’s here today to fill us in on how you can turn on the Do Not Track button in Internet Explorer 10. The process is simple and everybody will have to choose to turn the DNT button on or off upon installing the newest OS.
Lynch says that users will have two options. When installing Windows 8, there will be an “Express Settings” option and a “Cutomize” option. Choosing “Express Settings” will turn on DNT automatically. Considering that most PC users want the path of least resistance, this ensures that all of them are protected.
The “Customize” menu is a bit more complicated, but not by much. Users will be able to turn off the DNT setting if they so wish, but Microsoft has included a handy document during set-up that explains what DNT is and why it’s important. So even if your mom accidentally clicks her way through the “Customize” menu, she’ll still be exposed to the importance of DNT.
That only covers those who install Windows 8 which comes with IE10 preinstalled. Windows 7 owners are already using IE9. Where will DNT be when they install IE10 for Windows 7? Microsoft says not to worry as DNT will be set to on by default with all new installations of IE10. They will be presented with the choice to turn it off, however, if that is their wish.
Mozilla has already added a Do Not Track feature to Firefox, and a Chrome version is on the way. Internet Explorer 10 will be the first Microsoft product to get the feature. As DNT is adopted by all the big guys, expect even the little guys to start adopting it as well.