Microsoft Offers Tracking Protection on IE9, Strikes Deal With USDA

image: Reuters

Jennifer Booton

Fox Business  

Microsoft (MSFT) has been busy announcing over the last few days a new privacy feature on Internet Explorer a first-of-its-kind service deal with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The software giant unveiled a new feature on Tuesday for its Internet Explorer 9 [IE], which is currently undergoing development, that provides consumers “tracking protection,” or freedom from third-party companies that collect and store online activity for advertising and other purposes.

The feature allows consumers to filter content on a page that may have an impact on privacy, from stock tickers to social networking links.

“Some consumers today have been very clear that they have privacy concerns, like being unclear about what information is being shared and how it is used as they browse,” Microsoft’s corporate vice president Dean Hachamovitch, who also heads IE development and privacy, said in an interview with the company’s news center. 

“Some sharing is good – you may want a shopping site to know your history – but it is hard for anyone to differentiate today.”

While consumers’ addresses are visible to the site they visit, other third-party sites have the ability to potentially track consumers via cookies and other forms of technology, which has opened up a plethora of consumer privacy concerns.