Proposed Do Not Track Draft Kills IE10 DNT Default

Recently, Microsoft was bragging that Internet Explorer 10 would be the first browser to come with Do Not Track turned on by default. Do Not Track is aimed at preventing advertisers and ads from tracking a user's navigation on the Internet. Oddly, while Microsoft was touting that Do Not Track was on by default in its coming browser, it also admitted it currently didn't follow DNT signals sent from its own browser or others.

I'm sure the browser coming with DNT technology turned on by default wasn't met with appreciation by advertisers. It appears that advertisers can breathe a sigh of relief, for now. The latest proposed draft of the Do Not Track specification published yesterday requires that users must be able to choose to turn on the anti-behavioral tracking feature in the web browser. That would mean DNT can't come turned on by default.

The crux of this technology is preventing cookies from being installed on the user's computer to track their movements the better target ads based on their browsing preferences. You have been the target of behavioral advertising if you ran a search for something and then see ads on all the websites you visit related to the search. However, the browser can ask the user they will block behavioral tracking the first time the browser is run.

[via Wired]