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Microsoft to support anonymous browsing

Tue Aug 26 10:47AM

Microsoft officials have confirmed that the company is to introduce a way for users to surf the Web anonymously.

As part of the upcoming Internet Explorer 8 release, Microsoft is incorporating 'inPrivate' - a mode that will not record visits to the user's history and will not allow sites to place cookies on the user's system. Apple currently offers a similar service with its Safari browser.

Many industry pundits haven't wasted any time in pointing out one of the most obvious uses of the feature, nicknaming it 'porn mode,' highlighting the ability to view adult sites without leaving a trail for employers or family members to follow.

There have also been questions raised over the helpfulness of the latest release, which could make it harder for police to track Internet users that are viewing harmful or illegal websites.

On a recent posting to the official IE blog though, Microsoft officials put forward some more innocent uses of the new release:

"Have you ever wanted to take your web browsing 'off the record'? Perhaps you're using someone else's computer and you don't want them to know which sites you visited. Maybe you need to buy a gift for a loved one without ruining the surprise. Maybe you're at an Internet kiosk and don't want the next person using it to know at which website you bank."

Obviously the new Internet Explorer will have pros and cons but my question to you is: Should the Internet be completely private or should our movements be traceable?

Comments21 - 30 of 247

charter for paedophiles

From bryanslater22 on Tue Aug 26 12:16PM
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Useful for the one handed browser society.

From xv535man on Tue Aug 26 12:18PM
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Thank God! My wife spends a good half-hour every evening scanning my internet activity after I've finished. That's why I've given up on surprising her with presents...common sense at last from Microsoft...now the romantics among us can get back to our furtive procurement of surprises...

From noonan@ymail.com on Tue Aug 26 12:22PM
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How useful for terrorists.

From musicalj2 on Tue Aug 26 12:23PM
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Oh, and porn...I can look at porn again...

From noonan@ymail.com on Tue Aug 26 12:23PM
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This has nothing to do with "helping paedophiles" as for $20 they can buy software "which may help them" already. This is about the average user have a "small degree" of prvacy. You will never be 100% hidden as everthing can be traced (even with remote ssl connections to off-shore proxy servers) but for the average user its a step in the right direction ..... after all you pay for the computer / software shouldn't you have a right to decide whats recorded / download onto it ?

From kpec01 on Tue Aug 26 12:26PM
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@26, Indeed. @21,22,24 are you not even reading some of the other posts, seriously read the technical details rather than the media hyped ones !

From steven.kennett on Tue Aug 26 12:30PM
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I'm not sure what I think about this. I don't believe any electronic activity we undertake can and will be untraceable, if people want to know where you've been looking they will find a way past this I'm sure. But I also don't think this gives the green light for less desirable offences to be committed through the Internet. It's not advocating peadophilia or terrorism or any other practice, it's trying to give the same rights we're supposed to have offline. I guess fundementally I don't think it's going to make a helluva lot of difference, will people even realise or notice this change? What is the difference between this platform and just going in and deleteing cookies/temp files etc anyway - or am I missing the point...

From peacheyl on Tue Aug 26 12:32PM
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if you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about. As for "porn", so what? Make the ISPs that host these sites carry a restricted access or something like that. Fine the ISP and website owner for not placing it in a restricted domain/area.

From colbtech on Tue Aug 26 12:37PM
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What's the point!!! CCTV cameras catch nearly every move we make, so we may as well get treated the same on-line, if someone needs to hide a website visit from someone, it is easy to clear browsing history using Internet Tools anyway, however that info remains visible to police if the PC is checked for any reason, and I'm sure Microsoft have liased with the police to ensure this continues. Why would they want you surfing without trace, yet record every e-mail you send or receive?? No-one innocent needs to worry, and the criminal minds have already got the skills to surf without trace, so what is the point?

From marrod1969 on Tue Aug 26 12:40PM
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