Do Not Track in the Windows 8 Setup Experience

Posted by Brendon Lynch
Chief Privacy Officer, Microsoft

With Windows 8’s recent release to manufacturing, we know many people are interested in how customers will discover Do Not Track (DNT) in Internet Explorer 10. DNT will be enabled in the “Express Settings” portion of the Windows 8 set-up experience.  There, customers will also be given a “Customize” option, allowing them to easily switch DNT “off” if they’d like.

Brendon Lynch, Chief Privacy Officer, Microsoft

This approach is consistent with Microsoft’s goal of designing and configuring IE features to better protect user privacy, while also affording customers control of those features. It also underscores that the privacy of our customers is a top priority for Microsoft. 
 
In conjunction with the release of the Release Preview of Windows 8 in late May, we announced that we would be turning “on” a DNT signal as part of the default configuration for IE10.  Since then, we have conducted additional consumer research that confirmed strong support for our “consumer-privacy-first” approach to DNT. We have also discussed our point of view with many interested parties, who want to learn more about how our customers will first experience and control the DNT setting in IE.
 
In the Windows 8 set-up experience, customers will be asked to choose between two ways of configuring a number of settings: “Express Settings” or “Customize.” By providing a simple experience that allows customers to set their preferences, we’ve sought to balance ease of use with choice and control. The recommended Express Settings are designed to expedite and streamline the overall set-up process, and, if selected, generally improve a customer’s privacy, security, and overall experience on the device.

DNT fits naturally into this process. Customers will receive prominent notice that their selection of Express Settings turns DNT “on.”  In addition, by using the Customize approach, users will be able to independently turn “on” and “off” a number of settings, including the setting for the DNT signal.  A “Learn More” link with detailed information about each recommended setting will help customers decide whether to select Express Settings or Customize. A Privacy Statement link is also available on the screen. Windows 7 customers using IE10 will receive prominent notice that DNT is turned on in their new browser, together with a link providing more information about the setting.

Our approach to DNT in IE10 is part of our commitment to privacy by design and putting people first. We believe consumers should have more control over how data about their online behavior is tracked, shared, and used. If you would like to learn more about Microsoft’s approach to privacy, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/privacy.

Comments

• Anonymous
  August 07, 2012
  Thank you for not caving to the ad networks!

• Anonymous
  August 07, 2012
  Why is microsoft still being so dumb about simple things like this? Will you ever learn?

• Anonymous
  August 07, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  August 07, 2012
  Love it...thank you for not folding to the corrupt w3c standards body that is setting the standards with a full deck of ad supported companies on the panel.  Standards are like arseh*****s - everyone's got one.  This is why google wants everyone on chrome as quickly as possible - they are an advertising company - not a tech company - they just use tech to deliver ads.  IE10 for me - I'm sold and thank you.  I'd rather buy / use my technology from a tech company - not an advertising company.

• Anonymous
  August 07, 2012
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• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  Thank you. With this great implementation no advertiser will ever care about the Do Not Track header.

• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  This is not issue of being dumb. This is a smart-ish and evil action. Microsoft is undermining DND feature and any further developement of the situation hurts Google. Either Google will be forced to ignore IE implementation of DND (and receive bad press because of that) or it will be forced to lose track of large chunk of it's users, losing money. It's a win-win situation for MS.

• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  Does anyone even use IE anyway? There are plenty of ways to protect your privacy and granted not everyone as astute as developers and the like but this is a step in the right direction for Microsoft.

• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  It's a little bit useless, or have the IE10 somewhere a display that a website track or not?

• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  It's about time this has happened more privacy is needed in systems a user of windows since windows 3.0

• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  this is very great I like it.  we all need our privacy. especially these days when there is so many companies trying to get your information

• Anonymous
  August 08, 2012
  Do you have any opinion on keying third-party cookies to the domain?  There was a interesting proposal at Mozilla that didn't go far but would help with a lot of the same tracking issues:bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi This could be an interesting middle ground between complete DNT and the status quo, and it doesn't require cooperation from third-party tracking side as DNT does.

• Anonymous
  August 09, 2012
  The whole point of DNT is that it should only be present if the user has specifically chosen for it to be turned on or turned off. That's why the header has two available values, rather than just present and not-present. The W3C were very specific when drawing up this spec that the header should only be present if the user has chosen for it to be, and the browser shouldn't be making decisions for the user. The onus should be on the websites, not the browser, to use the correct behaviour for when the user hasn't expressed a preference either way.

• Anonymous
  August 10, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  August 16, 2012
  Yes i do the add on,s mobile does belong to the person added it he did not have my premission or concent to download mt mobile phone i want this issue to stop fix this stop him iv closed out mt google gmail yahoo and tryed take mt mobile out also but the owner of these home computers keeps down loadeding my mobile phone this has got to stop i even went got another phone and he did that one also he has hacked all my accounts linked them into him on his laptop either i get help to stop eddie morgan or i will file a complant on this issue thank you Lisa Mcfalls

• Anonymous
  September 08, 2012
  But what about pre-installed Windows 8 ? Which is how much users will probably encounter it.

• Anonymous
  September 14, 2012
  How does this work on OEM installations. Does the user get an 'Express settings' on first use of an OEM installation?

• Anonymous
  September 29, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  October 02, 2012
  what you meen to  ., Thank you for not caving to the ad networks!@#$?

• Anonymous
  December 04, 2012
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  February 12, 2013
  I need help you your web had my name address and tel # on the web need to stop some one going to pass years traing to my not get a job this is impisible