Apple Adds Do-Not-Track Tool to New Browser (leaves Google with the last major anti-privacy browser)

[onehandle]

Apple Inc. has added a do-not-track privacy tool to a test version of its latest Web browser for keeping customers' online activities from being monitored by marketers.

The tool is included within the latest test release of Lion, a version of Apple's Mac OS X operating system that is currently available only to developers. The final version of the operating system is scheduled to be released to the public this summer. Mentions of the do-not-track feature in Apple's Safari browser began to appear recently in online discussion forums and on Twitter.

The move by the Cupertino, Calif., company leaves Google Inc. as the only major browser provider that hasn't yet committed to supporting a do-no-track capability in its browser, called Chrome. Microsoft Corp. and Mozilla Corp. both offer do-not-track features in their latest browsers.

A spokesman for Google, which is a major player in online advertising, said the company "will continue to be involved closely" in industry discussions about do-not-track. In the meantime, he said Google offers an add-on program for Chrome that users can download called "Keep My Opt-Outs" that will let users request that their data not be used for targeted advertising. (Meaning, it's Not Built In and Not Automatic like the other companies' browsers).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703551304576261272308358858.html