Next version of Firefox will include 'do not track' functions
Published January 04, 2011
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission encouraged advertisers to curtail the use of behavioral data when reaching consumers with digital marketing initiatives. The group also suggested that web browsers include privacy functions in their software.
Now, Mozilla has responded to the FTC's call by including a "do not track" mechanism into the latest version of its popular Firefox web browser. A Mozilla representative told ClickZ that the goal is to provide more power to its users, ensuring that they have control over the data that brands use in their digital marketing initiatives.
"Firefox 4 will not ship with what we envision is the end-to-end solution, we don't think any browser can today," the spokesperson said. "'Do not track' represents one approach for how users might gain additional control over their data, but it is not a comprehensive fix for privacy on the web. We have been working with other organizations to discuss ways to design the right solution and there is more work to do."
Mozilla isn't the only web browser to incorporate privacy functions - Microsoft also recently announced it would include anti-tracking features in the latest iteration of its Windows-based Internet Explorer.