Latest Microsoft browser challenges Google
Hollywood Newsroom is now Buzz Newsroom! Visit and bookmark our new site. Buzz is bigger and better, including sports, world news, gadgets and the entertainment news that you're used to. Same staff, just more stuff! Why Fark, Drudge and Huffington when you can Buzz!?Microsoft released a web browser on Wednesday that includes a feature that could affect the advertising model of internet rivals such as Google.
The Internet Explorer 8 browser’s InPrivate setting lets users access websites without disclosing their browsing habits, which websites need to be able to do to deliver targeted advertising. This is a business Google has just moved into through its acquisition of DoubleClick.
The feature has been dubbed “porn mode” because it also hides the browsing history from other people using the same computer. While other browsers have similar options, it is in a much more prominent position on Microsoft’s product.
John Curran, a director at Microsoft UK, said “some people will always want to be ‘InPrivate’, but there is a trade-off” – meaning that although people’s privacy will be protected they will not automatically receive data relevant to their interests.
Google has faced a public outcry over the amount of information it collects from users of its services. David Mitchell, an information technology analyst at Ovum, said: “If the hype around privacy gains more credibility, more people will hit the private button. There is a potential threat here to click-through [display] advertising.”
- from FT