Microsoft (MSFT), Facebook Ramping Up Online Privacy Protections

Technology majors Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Facebook Inc. are working to strengthen and clarify their efforts around the controversial issue of online privacy—the latest steps by the Internet firms to call for stronger consumer protections.

On Thursday, Microsoft endorsed the concept of adding a do-not-track tool to its Web browsing software, signaling a shift in support for a system that could let people avoid having their movements monitored online. Microsoft slipped its mention of the tool—specifically, adding a reference to a do-not-track feature in its Internet Explorer browser—into a technical paper it submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium.

On Friday, meanwhile, Facebook unveiled a new draft of its highly watched privacy policy. While the new policy doesn't change the social network's data-handling practices, it contains chunks of information organized around more practical headings such as "your information and how it is used" and "how advertising works."

The moves underline how some tech companies are continuing to grapple with online privacy concerns. The Wall Street Journal has been running an investigative series, "What They Know," which chronicled the scope and increasing intrusiveness of online-tracking technologies. The Federal Trade Commission has since weighed in with proposals on improving online privacy, as efforts to simplify privacy policies and controls have also gained steam across a range of companies.





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