• by July 20, 2000

Microsoft is adding deeper cookie controls to Internet Explorer. The company announced plans to test new features within the IE software that are supposed to give users more control over the use of cookies that can track their online surfing activities.

As we all know, cookie data can be used by websites and ad servers to target online ads. So this announcement has undoubtedly sent a slight shiver down the spines of some ad serving companies who rely on cookies to build user profiles.

Microsoft said it will enable automatic prompts that inform users anytime a cookie is being offered by a site, and a "delete all cookies" control button has been added to the browser's main "Internet options" page.

This announcement may or may not have something to do with Microsoft's newest admission of guilt – in a recent news article, the company acknowledged that a problem with core Hotmail technology leaked user's email addresses to third- party ad servers supplying banner ads for email newsletters.

Interestingly, a company called AdSubtract, declared this morning that their cookie-cutter software can plug the Hotmail leak. AdSubtract - http://www.adsubtract.com - is a tool that selectively blocks Internet cookies and web bugs, which are often used to create online profiles of users web habits - not something most advertisers are happy to hear either.

The real question, however, is how will these developments affect ad servers and subsequently, your media plans? I'm sure we won't have to wait to long to find out.