Microsoft’s announcement it will enable a do-not-track setting by default...

browser default an “important first step” for more privacy protections for consumers, but said he hoped Microsoft and others would go a step further, “so that Do Not Track also means ‘Do Not Collect,’ giving consumers the ability to say no to both targeted advertising and collection of their personal data.” Consumers Union noted Microsoft was the first major browser maker to enable the setting by default. “Traditionally, consumers have been left with all the responsibility when it comes to protecting personal data online” but Microsoft has taken “one of the first steps in shifting that balance,” so consumers don’t have to “navigate confusing or difficult privacy settings across multiple platforms,” said Ioana Rusu, regulatory counsel. Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch laid out the reasons for Microsoft’s decision in a blog post (http://xrl.us/bm929m) late Thursday. “We've made today’s decision because we believe in putting people first,” though Microsoft hopes that “many consumers will see this value and make a conscious choice to share information in order to receive more personalized ad content,” he said. “For us, that is the key distinction.” Microsoft can only go so far on its own, though, because websites don’t yet have a common understanding of how to respond to the do-not-track “signal” the browser sends, Lynch said. The company is committed to using its position in the “relevant industry, government and standards bodies to push for a clear action” for ad networks to respect such browser signals and opt out users from behavioral ads, he said. As a growing ad network itself, Microsoft has a “unique perspective into this discussion,” and Microsoft Advertising plans to treat the browser signal as a behavioral opt-out under the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (DAA) self-regulatory program, Lynch said: Microsoft’s ad division is “actively working” with other ad industry leaders on what a do-not-track implementation plan might look like, and hopes to announce more details “in the coming months.” The ad industry backlash to Microsoft was quick, with Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) President Randall Rothenberg calling the browser default “a step backwards in consumer choice, and we fear it will harm many of the businesses, particularly publishers, that fuel so much of the rich content on the internet” (http://xrl.us/bm93ar). IAB, a founding member of the DAA, believes “the only workable policy is to educate consumers and allow them to control how data is collected for certain purposes, including interest-based advertising,” Rothenberg said: “A default setting that automatically blocks content violates the consumer’s right to choose.” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing last month he expected the commission’s work with the DAA would result in a “meaningful” do-not-track mechanism by the end of the year (CD May 10 p9).