Microsoft: IE9's web privacy hole? A feature, not a bug
A hole has been spotted in Internet Explorer 9's do-not-track technology, and Microsoft says it's a feature not a bug.
In response to a US government call for greater protection of consumers' privacy online, Microsoft added a Tracking Protection Lists (TPLs) feature to IE9. Netizens can use one or more lists to prevent certain ad networks and websites from tracking their behavior online. But when an IE9 user downloads multiple TPLs and a site's blocked on one list but allowed on another, IE9 will allow the site, letting it to track the user's activities.
The hole was flagged up by UK consumer watchdog Which?. Tracking Protection Lists are available from four Microsoft IE9 partners: Abine, EasyList, PrivacyChoice, and Truste. An existing Microsoft TPL Q&A here at the foot of the IE9 test drive site mentions briefly what happens if there's a conflict. It's also illustrated as part of a video on Microsoft's IE blog that announces TPLs. While that might count as forewarning, this is not a capability that Microsoft has explicitly called out or explained in any great detail when it has talked about TPLs.
