dnt

Unable to tell whether someone really objects to behavioural ads or whether they are sticking with Microsoft’s default, some may ignore a DNT signal and press on anyway.

On May 31st Microsoft Set off the row: It said that Internet Explorer 10,the version due to appear windows 8, would have DNT as a default.

Getting a DNT signal does not oblige anyone to stop tracking, although some companies have promised to do so.

Few switch DNT on now, but if tracking is off it will stay off.

DNT does not seem an obviously huge selling point for windows 8-though the firm has compared some of its other products favourably with Google's on that count before.

After all, it has an ad business too, which it says will comply with DNT requests, though it is still working out how.

If it is trying to upset Google, which relies almost wholly on advertising, it has chosen an indirect method: there is no guarantee that DNT by default will become the norm.

In February the FTC and the digital Advertising Alliance agreed that the industry would get cracking on responding to DNT requests.

It said that Internet Explorer 10, the version due to appear with Windows 8, would have DNT as a default.

microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's safari both offer DNT; Google's Chrome is due to do so this year.

Unable to tell whether someone really objects to behavioural ads or whether they are sticking with microsoft's default, some may ignore a DNT signal and press on anyway.