Google has followed through on plans to provide a ‘Do Not Track’ feature in the latest version of its Chrome browser.
In Chrome 23, users have the option to select Do Not Track, which will include a request with their browser traffic for websites to disable tracking. The move comes after the company announced in February that it would support Do Not Track in Chrome by the end of the year.
The option is not enabled by default. To turn on, users need to go to the menu at the top right corner of their browser and click on the ‘Settings’ option. From there, users should select ‘Advanced Settings’, browse to the ‘Privacy’ menu and check the “Send a ‘Do Not Track’ request with your browsing traffic” option.
The addition of the Do Not Track feature brings Google in line with other major browser vendors. Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Opera all have gone the same route in their most recent browsers.
The way this feature was adopted by Microsoft in Internet Explorer has been a source of controversy. In October, the board of directors of the Association of National Advertisers objected to Microsoft’s plans to ship Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10) with the “Do Not Track” setting turned on by default, stating in a letter to Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer that the decision could eliminate the ability to collect web viewing data for much of the American public.
When users switch on the Do Not Track feature, a message appears, which explains why Chrome’s approach is not a perfect answer users’ demand for browsing privacy.
“Enabling ‘Do Not Track’ means that a request will be included with your browsing traffic,” according to the message. “Any effect depends on whether a website responds to the request and how the request is interpreted. For example, some websites may respond to this request by showing you ads that aren’t based on other websites you’ve visited. Many websites will still collect and use your browsing data – for example to improve security, to provide content, services, ads and recommendations on their websites, and to generate reporting statistics.”
In addition to the Do Not Track feature, the latest version of Chrome also patched 14 vulnerabilities, six of which are rated “High”. Of the remaining eight, seven are rated “Medium” and the final bug classified as “low” risk. The company said it has also enabled GPU-accelerated video decoding for Chrome on Windows.
“Dedicated graphics chips draw far less power than a computer’s CPU, so using GPU-accelerated video decoding while watching videos can increase battery life significantly,” blogged Fischman. “You’ll also find it much easier to view and control any website’s permissions for capabilities such as geolocation, pop-ups, and camera/microphone access. This saves you from having to dig through settings pages to find these permissions. Now, simply click on the page/lock icon next to a website’s address in the omnibox to see a list of permissions and tweak them as you wish.”
Do you know all about Green IT? Take our quiz!
Originally published on eWeek.
After the United States imposes 100 percent tariffs on certain Chinese goods, Europe widens its…
OpenAI strikes deal with Reddit to train its AI tech on user posts and give…
Global spending spree from Microsoft continues, with huge investment for new data centre to drive…
Workforce blow. Newly privatised Toshiba has embarked on a 'revitalisation plan' that will entail the…
European Commission opens an official child safety investigation into Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta Platforms
Hundreds of AI and cloud engineers are being offered relocation out of China by Microsoft,…