New Microsoft Tool Blocks Behavioral Advertising

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Moving forward with its own version of do-not-track, Microsoft today is releasing a new privacy feature in IE9 aimed at allowing users to block ads served by behavioral-targeting companies.

The browser's new tracking protection function allows users to create lists of servers to block or allow. When ad networks (and other companies) appear on users' blacklists, IE9 will prevent those entities from appearing as third parties on publishers' sites. The tracking protection feature only blocks third parties, meaning that the browser will not prevent publishers from serving their own ads, but could prevent ads powered by an outside company from appearing.

Ad networks and others on an approved list will be allowed to appear as third parties. If the same ad network appears on both lists, the white list will trump the blacklist and the ad will be served. The browser itself will not compile the block or approve lists. Rather, consumers can obtain such lists from privacy organizations, or can create their own. At launch, the groups offering tracking protection lists include TRUSTe, Abine, and Privacy Choice.

Those organizations are taking different approaches to determining which of the 300 estimated ad networks to include on the blacklists.

TRUSTe CEO Chris Babel says at launch, companies that participate in the Digital Advertising Alliance's self-regulatory program (or that TRUSTe works with independently) will appear on TRUSTe's approved list. The DAA requires behavioral-advertising companies to use an icon to notify consumers about tracking and also allow them to opt out. TRUSTe, DoubleVerify and Evidon currently provide those icons.

TRUSTe is not planning to include any companies on its blacklist at launch. Instead, the organization will give the companies that don't participate in the DAA's program 30 days to come into compliance. If they don't, TRUSTe will place them on its block list, Babel says.

By contrast, Abine intends to include all ad networks involved in behavioral advertising on the block list, says co-founder Rob Shavell.

Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome also offer versions of do-not-track, but neither companies' browsers block ads. Instead, Mozilla this week began offering users the ability to enable a do-not-track header. That header notifies ad networks that users don't want to be tracked, but the networks are free to decide whether to respect users' preferences. Chrome offers a "Keep My Opt-Outs" that allows users to permanently express a preference to opt out of online tracking and ad targeting by companies that participate in the self-regulatory program.

Microsoft's new tool has drawn far more controversy than the other browser-based no-tracking features. The Interactive Advertising Bureau calls it a "content blocker," noting that the feature can prevent any entities on a blacklist -- editorial companies as well as ad networks -- from displaying material.

"We're not supportive of a content blocking tool," says IAB general counsel Mike Zaneis. "Anybody can create a block list, and I don't think consumers understand what they're going to be downloading."

But Jules Polonetsky, co-chair and director of the industry-funded think tank Future for Privacy Forum, calls the new feature "a powerful tool for Web surfers that want a higher level of control over Web tracking."

He adds that the three browser-based tools "address goals of do-not-track proposals more effectively than legislation could do."

4 comments about "New Microsoft Tool Blocks Behavioral Advertising".
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  1. Jules Polonetsky from Future of Privacy Forum, February 10, 2011 at 7:02 p.m.

    Note the following: ie 8 today has a one click feature called "inprivate filtering" which builds a black list blocking ALL 3rd party domains. Today! On the computers of all ie 8 users. Content blocked, ads blocked. Very little useage. The new ie 9 feature removes the block list that exists today. Users need to go find a Do Not Track list to import. This will not be used by any other than the super privacy sensitive, who are already using it in ie 8. No one has or is likely to create a Do Not track list to import that will block content. I dont like the ad blocking....but let's declare Do Not Track achieved and advise legislators to move on. A bill labeled to Do Not TRack will pass in a flash - Rep Jackie Speier introduces one tomorrow. So let's applaud browser tools that provide privacy advances but allow the ad business model to continue - and declare DNT achieved and lets move on and away from laws that dictate browser development. Businesses should agree that they will treat the Firefox header like an opt-out cookie for behavioral ads....don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and invite government to fix the problem. Let's move on to the bigger and more important debate of do we need a general US privacy law and how can it be balanced with self regulation and innovation.

  2. Andre Szykier from maps capital management, February 11, 2011 at 10:54 a.m.

    Any solution that requires users to selectively decide who to block is senseless. People are lazy.
    A browser can inspect any page and determine whether their are links going out to beacons for ad tracking agencies. It can warn the user who can one-click to tell the browser to add this beacon to the blacklist.

    After a while, you would probably cover most of the ad network and metric urls and eventually get little interruption. However, the browser vendors should test their versions on any and all porn sites out there.

    The coders for this market segment are the best at hacking, tracking, and targeting users. I call them the "red hats", like the cardinals in the Vatican.

  3. Francisco Vasquez from Grupo Trebol, February 11, 2011 at 10:16 p.m.

    So, what's new. Another way of Microsoft admitting that they were too late into understanding the advertising game. If they cannot dominate the game, then nobody can play. It won't work!!!

  4. xdgdfd gdfgdgdf, February 14, 2011 at 3:29 a.m.
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