What is "Do Not Track"?
"Do not track" is a proposed HTTP header field by researchers Christopher Soghoian, Sid Stamm, and Dan Kaminsky , which requests that a web application disable its tracking of an individual user. It is currently being standardized by the W3C.The header field name is "DNT" and it currently accepts three values: 1 in case the user does not want to be tracked (opt out), 0 in case the user consents to being tracked (opt in), or null (no header sent) if the user has not expressed a preference.
How does it Work?
When a web browser makes a request or sends data using HTTP, it can include extra information in the HTTP header for the "Do not track" i.e it can add a header (DNT: 1), indicating that the user does not want to be tracked.But there is something to be noted that the Do Not Track system is completely voluntary, it means that not all websites and advertisers will honour the request or may completely ignore it altogether.
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Microsoft announced earlier in May that the “Do Not Track” option would be activated as a default on Internet Explorer 10 when used with Windows 8, as part of its commitment towards user privacy.
In a blog post Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch explained :
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"We’ve made today’s decision because we believe in putting people first. We believe that consumers should have more control over how information about their online behavior is tracked, shared and used. Online advertising is an important part of the economy supporting publishers and content owners and helping businesses of all shapes and sizes to go to market. There is also value for consumers in personalized experiences and receiving advertising that is relevant to them.
Of course, we hope that many consumers will see this value and make a conscious choice to share information in order to receive more personalized ad content. For us, that is the key distinction. Consumers should be empowered to make an informed choice and, for these reasons, we believe that for IE10 in Windows 8, a privacy-by-default state for online behavioral advertising is the right approach."
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But this resulted in Microsoft facing significant criticism from both Internet users and advertising companies. I tried finding out why Microsoft is being assailed on this issue and I felt that the real deal issue is that if Microsoft ships Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10) with the “Do Not Track” setting turned on by default, which has a higher probability than coming up with turned off, then it will prevent online advertisers from collecting information based on a reader’s actions when using the Web. Firms can still display advertisements in your browser, but it means they can’t use information collected by tracking cookies to display ads based on your online activity. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) have warned that Internet Explorer 10's Do Not Track" (DNT) setting will adversely hurt the quality and quantity Internet content. The ANA's board of directors comprises executives from major companies including Dell, Intel, Adobe, IBM and Wal-Mart. Though there will be an option to turn off the DNT, the ANA contends that having it as the default setting strongly discourages users from doing so, and would hurt not just advertisers but also consumers.
"Do not track" is a proposed HTTP header field by researchers Christopher Soghoian, Sid Stamm, and Dan Kaminsky , which requests that a web application disable its tracking of an individual user. It is currently being standardized by the W3C.The header field name is "DNT" and it currently accepts three values: 1 in case the user does not want to be tracked (opt out), 0 in case the user consents to being tracked (opt in), or null (no header sent) if the user has not expressed a preference.
How does it Work?
When a web browser makes a request or sends data using HTTP, it can include extra information in the HTTP header for the "Do not track" i.e it can add a header (DNT: 1), indicating that the user does not want to be tracked.But there is something to be noted that the Do Not Track system is completely voluntary, it means that not all websites and advertisers will honour the request or may completely ignore it altogether.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Microsoft announced earlier in May that the “Do Not Track” option would be activated as a default on Internet Explorer 10 when used with Windows 8, as part of its commitment towards user privacy.
In a blog post Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch explained :
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We’ve made today’s decision because we believe in putting people first. We believe that consumers should have more control over how information about their online behavior is tracked, shared and used. Online advertising is an important part of the economy supporting publishers and content owners and helping businesses of all shapes and sizes to go to market. There is also value for consumers in personalized experiences and receiving advertising that is relevant to them.
Of course, we hope that many consumers will see this value and make a conscious choice to share information in order to receive more personalized ad content. For us, that is the key distinction. Consumers should be empowered to make an informed choice and, for these reasons, we believe that for IE10 in Windows 8, a privacy-by-default state for online behavioral advertising is the right approach."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
But this resulted in Microsoft facing significant criticism from both Internet users and advertising companies. I tried finding out why Microsoft is being assailed on this issue and I felt that the real deal issue is that if Microsoft ships Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10) with the “Do Not Track” setting turned on by default, which has a higher probability than coming up with turned off, then it will prevent online advertisers from collecting information based on a reader’s actions when using the Web. Firms can still display advertisements in your browser, but it means they can’t use information collected by tracking cookies to display ads based on your online activity. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) have warned that Internet Explorer 10's Do Not Track" (DNT) setting will adversely hurt the quality and quantity Internet content. The ANA's board of directors comprises executives from major companies including Dell, Intel, Adobe, IBM and Wal-Mart. Though there will be an option to turn off the DNT, the ANA contends that having it as the default setting strongly discourages users from doing so, and would hurt not just advertisers but also consumers.