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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
byL4t3r4lu5 ( 1216702 ) writes:
It is not mandatory for advertisers to honour the "Do not track" flag. Internet users need to turn the option on themselves, or they have not expressed their desire to not be trackedthemselves, only to accept the default settings as Microsoft deems fit.
If Microsoft enable it by default, it definitely won't be honoured. If it is only set by the actions of the user, it might be honoured. Now Microsoft decides to piss in the advertiser's cornflakes and expects them to still eat them. Nice job.
byNursie ( 632944 ) writes:
If a significant number of people turn it on, it will be ignored. This is wheter MS does it or the users do it themselves.
Of course we all know that users won't change the default because they may as well be cattle, but still...
I see the whole thing as a waste of time. Nobody wants to be tracked. A polite request is not oing to fix anything. Technological and legislative measures are needed.
byL4t3r4lu5 ( 1216702 ) writes:
If a significant number of people turn it on, it will be ignored.
Unlikely. Right now, the choice is "Don't look at the sites which use behavioural advertising if you don't want to be tracked" or "Run an adblocker which cuts the revenue stream from free-to-read sites". With the third Do Not Track option, people can still be shown advertising without worrying about behavioural profiling. It's a middle ground for everyone; Punters get privacy, sites get revenue from ad clicks, advertisers sell stuff through adverts.
From my perspective, if I found that the system worked as
byNursie ( 632944 ) writes:
I agree it's a nice idea, this middle path where everyone wins. But I strongly disagree that people should have to opt out of anything, and I also don't believe for one second that advertisers will respect it even if it is left to the user. Since when are marketers even the slightest bit trustworthy?
The only way default-off is anything like an honest option, rather than a dishonest way of saying there's an option but leaving most people in the dark, would be to have the browser ask. Probably when it's installed or updated to a release that can do DNT. A full page explaining the issue clearly and concisely and letting the user choose. Not just slipping in a config option quietly.
And even then it would be a total failure because marketing scum would ignore it.
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