Microsoft disables do-not-track option in its browsers by default

Microsoft will now turn off the do-not-track option by default in its future browsers. Users must now indicate themselves that they do not want to be tracked. In this way, the tech giant wants to meet critics.

Microsoft turned on the do-not-track option for all users in Internet Explorer two years ago. The company was the first to do so as standard. The option causes browsers to inform websites that they do not want surfing behavior to be tracked for, for example, advertising purposes.

While many users praised the initiative, there were also critical voices. For example, there were still plenty of discussions about possible standards for the do-not-track version. The World Wide Web Consortium has now released a draft in which the organization states that users must turn on the option themselves.

“The rationale is that the signal should be sent by the user, and not be dependent on the choice of a supplier, institution, site or mechanism that is beyond the user’s control,” the consortium writes.

Microsoft says to disable the do-not-track option by default in the ‘express settings’ of Windows. “But we will inform customers about how to enable this feature,” the software manufacturer said. “This change will take effect when customers first set up their new PC or upgrade from a previous version of Windows or Internet Explorer.”

Disabling the do-not-track option means that Internet Explorer, as well as its new browser ‘Spartan’, tells websites by default that they can track users’ browsing habits. Spartan will be the default browser of Windows 10, while Internet Explorer is intended to cater to business users. Many business-specific applications are optimized for Internet Explorer.