Google has reversed its position on "Do Not Track," committing to putting the technology front and center in its Chrome browser.
Although many browsers have implemented full and partial support for Do Not Track capabilities, Chrome was the last high-profile holdout.
“We’re pleased to join a broad industry agreement to respect the ‘do-not-track’ header in a consistent and meaningful way that offers users choice and clearly explained browser controls,” Google Senior Vice President of Advertising Susan Wojcicki said in a statement to Bloomberg.
Digitaltrends reports:
However, even if browsers send the Do Not Track header, Web sites at the other end still have to voluntarily implement support for the feature—if Web sites do nothing, users’ usage to the site will still be tracked and monitored (or not!) the same as any other user.
So far, industry groups like the Digital Marketing Association have committed only to support Do Not Track only to the extent that they will not serve targeted ads—advertising based on a user’s tracked behaviors, searches, purchases, and social links. The companies will still serve ads, and some of those ads are likely to be targeted based on things like a user’s general location (as determined by IP address).
Engadget writes:
Well, that didn't take long. One day after agreeing to implement a do not track button as part of a newconsumer bill of rights, Google has given the people what they want... sort of. Keep My Opt-Outs is a Chrome extension, developed by the Mountain View team, that will prevent advertisers from using your browsing history against you. Presumably, this function will get built straight into the browser one day but, for now, you have to go dig it up in the Chrome Web Store -- far from an ideal solution. Still, a tepid step into the shallow end is better than no step at all. You can install the extension yourself at the source.
When will Chrome add Do Not Track, and how will users turn it on?
Google hasn't said exactly. A company spokeswoman said that Chrome will support the technology "by the end of the year," but declined to get more specific. She also declined to spell out the user experience, saying "We will have more to say as development proceeds."
Likely Chrome will add a check box to the user settings panel -- as have Firefox and Safari -- probably in the "Under the Hood" section where other privacy options are now available.
So, Chrome supporting Do Not Track is a good thing?
Very much so, said Jonathan Mayer, one of the two Stanford University researchers who came up with the header standard. "This is a great step forward. For some time, Google has been the last holdout among the major browsers," he said in an interview Thursday.
We'll write more soon about what this means to digital marketers.
For more about what Google's Do Not Track means to users and companies, see ComputerWorld's FAQ.
