Tag Archives: do not track

Apple promises hostile treatment for sites that break Safari privacy rules

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Apple is taking a tough new stance on websites that attempt to monitor and share individuals' browsing history. In a new policy page, published on Wednesday, the company says it will treat websites and apps that attempt to bypass Safari's anti cross-...

Google’s AdID, an anonymous identifier for advertising, could replace the aging cookie

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Google's AdID, an anonymous identifier for advertising, could replace the aging cookie

You know the drill: accept the cookie, delete the cookie, empty the cookie bin, and so on. Mostly, it's an exercise used when attempting to get your mum's PC to run a wee bit faster, but if you think about it, the cookie is one of the most archaic pieces of the world wide web that's still in use today. Naturally, Google is swooping in in a bid to change the status quo, according to a new report from USA Today.

Essentially, the search giant is building an "anonymous identifier for advertising, or AdID, that would replace third-party cookies as the way advertisers track people's internet browsing activity for marketing purposes." Perhaps astoundingly, it sounds as if the project could benefit both consumers (by shielding true identities) and advertisers at the same time. Of course, pundits are concerned about the global leader in online advertising controlling the technology that tracks movements on the web, but to us, it sounds as if end users will get far more power over who sees what when compared to today's cookies.

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Via: Slashgear

Source: USA Today

Firefox updates Android and desktop betas with treats for privacy, font snobs

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Firefox updates Android and desktop betas with treats for privacy, font snobs

The Firefox folks have been talking up the latest additions to the browser's beta streams for Android and desktop users. If you've signed up for the former, then you'll soon see open-source fonts Charis and Open Sans replacing the default lettering in the OS, for a more "visually appealing and clear reading experience" -- as well as some HTML5 compatibility tweaks. On the desktop side, users will find more granular "do not track" options as well as letting you now re-open tab thumbnails that you'd previously closed. As for us? We're still waiting for the G-Fox version of the beta, where we navigate the internet through the power of cuddling.

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Source: Firefox, (2)

Google Chrome 23 in finished form brings Do Not Track, graphics boosts for Windows users

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Google Chrome 23 in finished form brings Do Not Track, graphics boosts for Windows users

As cutting-edge as Google can be, its Chrome browser has trailed in supporting Do Not Track by default; all its major challengers already have the option to cut off tracking cookies. At least that's where Google's fast-track development process comes in handy. Following a short beta, the stable release of Chrome 23 includes the DNT protocol to both safeguard privacy and prevent a few eerily well-targeted ads. The update is more fine-grained still with a quick drop-down menu to selectively turn off access to cameras, location and other sensitive details on a site-by-site basis. Even those who live their life in public get something: Windows users at last have graphics hardware acceleration for video, giving a lift to battery life on laptops and smoothing playback for those on borderline-acceptable PCs. More details are available at the source link, so get to clicking if you're not a fan of small text files shadowing your web visits.

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Google Chrome 23 in finished form brings Do Not Track, graphics boosts for Windows users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: We, the digitally naked

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Editorial We, the digitally naked

The iPhone 5. It is taller, and has incremental improvements under the hood, and is shiny. (I'm staying away. Typing on glass is wrong.)

Of more import, the smartphone you carry is more than a communication device; it is potentially a government surveillance enabler. To whatever extent that is the case (depending on whose public pronouncements you believe), latent digital snooping was reinforced on the same day as the iPhone event. Two days after that, Google announced its intention to build a "Do Not Track" option into the Chrome browser, giving users some shielding from a different type of rampant surveillance -- the type that creepily delivers knowingly targeted ads. The two issues differ in seriousness, but are related as privacy concerns. As our mobile and desktop devices get sexier, we become increasingly naked.

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Editorial: We, the digitally naked originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google plays privacy catch-up, adds Do Not Track option to Chrome

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Google's had one foot in the web privacy door for a while, offering Chrome users the Keep My Opt-Outs extension in its browser's Web Store since 2011. Still, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari already offer a Do Not Track option directly in their browser settings. Mountain View is now working to close that gap by bringing that same privacy configuration to Chrome. Do Not Track will let users opt out of tracking cookies and targeted advertising (from ad networks that comply with the standard, that is), and is currently live on Chrome's developer channel. The option will reportedly be baked into the stable version of the browser by the end of the year.

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Google plays privacy catch-up, adds Do Not Track option to Chrome originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla releases Thunderbird 15 with Firefox-like UI, live chat

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Mozilla releases Thunderbird 15 with Firefoxlike UI, live chatMozilla might be scaling back its official support of Thunderbird, but it still has love left for those who yearn for more in their e-mail clients than OS developers can give. The newly-released Thunderbird 15 update's most conspicuous change is a deliberate visual harmony with its Firefox cousin: the company wants its apps to have more in common than just a shared name on the About screen. Under the hood, there's now a live chat feature to skip the wait for e-mail, a Do Not Track option for web searches and the choice of using Ubuntu One cloud storage for large attachments. It's hard to know if future Thunderbird releases will be as substantial once the community takes the reins. For now, though, Thunderbird aficionados can relax.

[Thanks, Keith]

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Mozilla releases Thunderbird 15 with Firefox-like UI, live chat originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 RTM will include ‘do not track’ by default for Internet Explorer 10

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Windows 8 RTM will include 'do not track' by default for Internet Explorer 10

Many advertisers weren't thrilled when Microsoft proclaimed that 'do not track' would be the default for Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, but that reaction hasn't made the folks in Redmond flinch. Brendon Lynch, the company's Chief Privacy Officer, announced that the 'do not track' default is already baked into the code of the October-bound operating system that has been released to manufacturers. Upon booting Windows 8 for the first time, users will be greeted with a choice between "Express Settings" or "Customize," the former of which has "do not track" enabled. IE 10 on Windows 7 will receive a similar treatment, with a "prominent notice" about the setting being switched on appearing alongside a link to additional information. Despite Microsoft's efforts, it's possible that advertisers could ignore the web browser setting if they feel their negotiations have been for naught. Considering the response to Microsoft's initial default announcement, we suspect this won't be the last development in the saga.

[Image credit: Tomas Fano, Flickr]

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Windows 8 RTM will include 'do not track' by default for Internet Explorer 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Explicit consent becomes mandatory with latest ‘do not track’ proposal, backs Microsoft into the corner

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    IE 10 backed into a corner as explicit consent becomes mandatory with latest 'do not track' proposal

    Remember how Microsoft said it'd enable the "do not track" feature by default for all users of Internet Explorer 10? Well, it's not likely to happen -- at least from the looks of things. The move caused more than an uproar in the advertising industry, which had agreed to abide by these preferences only if users could, indeed, choose for themselves. With Microsoft's bullish decision to go forward and make this setting default, advertisers argued they'd be left with no choice but to bust the deal wide open and ignore these preferences. In attempt to make sure the whole "do not track" effort isn't derailed, the latest compromise proposal -- authored by the EFF, Mozilla and Jonathan Mayer of Stanford University -- now includes a specific provision that requires users to provide explicit consent before any tracking preferences can be transmitted. The same document acknowledges that the proposal has yet to be extensively discussed with stakeholders, but from the looks of things, "do not track" by default seems headed for a quick death. It's too bad we didn't have the time to get better acquainted with Microsoft's heavy lash against advertisers, but we've a feeling that you can decide this one for yourselves, right?

    [Image credit: Tomas Fano, Flickr]

    Explicit consent becomes mandatory with latest 'do not track' proposal, backs Microsoft into the corner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Microsoft sets ‘do not track’ as default on IE10, ruffles feathers

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    Microsoft sets 'do not track' as default on IE10, ruffles feathers

    Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 won't be the first major browser to pack a "do not track" component, but it'll be the first to have it switched on by default. Though Microsoft doesn't yet support the feature on its own websites, it plans to help hammer out the protocols by cooperating with industry, government and standards organizations in the months ahead. With Twitter's support for the measure, the crew in Redmond isn't the only one kicking the privacy ball forward. The Digital Advertising Alliance, however, isn't pleased with the development, in no small part because it struck a deal with the White House to honor "do not track" so long as it's not a default setting. Despite the move, Microsoft said it hopes users will choose to share their data with advertisers to receive more relevant advertising. Hit the more coverage links for added details on Microsoft's feather ruffling.

    [Image credit: Tomas Fano, Flickr]

    Microsoft sets 'do not track' as default on IE10, ruffles feathers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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