Governments around the world are cracking down on websites that collect information about visitors. Some laws and some industry-standard best practices require website owners to reveal what information they are collecting and how it is used. If you are concerned about the information collected about you on the web, you can view a webpage’s privacy policy right from within Internet Explorer 9.
Websites collect information too but whereas information collected without your knowledge in the real world is largely anonymous, information collected in the digital world can identify who you are. Collection of
information across website visits even allows some tracking companies to create profiles about you based on the sites you visit and do business with.
Internet Explorer 9 offers an option to view a website’s privacy policy right from within the browser. If the website subscribes to the necessary formatting of the policy, this feature allows you to view the company’s privacy policy immediately without having to hunt around for it in the recesses of the site. Although not all websites format their privacy policy in this way, the bigger, more prominent web presences do.
When you click on the Website Privacy Policy link, IE9 open up a Privacy Report for the website you are currently viewing. You’ll notice that the report lists all of the sources where the elements of the webpage came from. In the case of some large corporate sites, this list can be quite long.
Notice that the report also lists the pages using cookies to track information during your visit. The first item on the list is normally the website’s main page. For our example, click on http://www.microsoft.com/ and then click the Summary button.
This instantly opens up the privacy policy for the company. Note that the privacy summary includes the name of the website owner, a TRUSTe certificate, and a list of the site’s privacy policy statements.
Keep in mind that malicious website owners are not going to broadcast their privacy policies in this way; it’s not that kind of safety feature. This feature of IE9 lets you view the privacy policies of reputable companies.
Failure to comply with their own privacy policies has led to many lawsuits over how visitor information is collected and used. By displaying its privacy policy for all to see, it is less likely that the company will break it.
A website’s privacy policy is a legal statement telling visitors what information is collected and how it is used. Many times the statement revolves around cookies and how they are used while a visitor is on the website. Using a safety feature in Internet Explorer 9, you can instantly view a website’s privacy policy without having to hunt around for it on the site.
Why View a Website’s Privacy Policy?
It is no secret that companies derive value from information collected about customers and visitors. Some information is collected about you without you knowing. In brick and mortar stores, some of this information includes counts of traffic, average time spent in the store, and average time spent waiting in the checkout line.Websites collect information too but whereas information collected without your knowledge in the real world is largely anonymous, information collected in the digital world can identify who you are. Collection of
information across website visits even allows some tracking companies to create profiles about you based on the sites you visit and do business with.
Internet Explorer 9 offers an option to view a website’s privacy policy right from within the browser. If the website subscribes to the necessary formatting of the policy, this feature allows you to view the company’s privacy policy immediately without having to hunt around for it in the recesses of the site. Although not all websites format their privacy policy in this way, the bigger, more prominent web presences do.
View Privacy Policies in IE9
Open up IE9 and go to any webpage of a large company. For our example, we will be using Microsoft.com. In the upper right hand corner of the browser, click on the Tools button. When the menu opens, click on Safety>Website Privacy Policy.
When you click on the Website Privacy Policy link, IE9 open up a Privacy Report for the website you are currently viewing. You’ll notice that the report lists all of the sources where the elements of the webpage came from. In the case of some large corporate sites, this list can be quite long.
Notice that the report also lists the pages using cookies to track information during your visit. The first item on the list is normally the website’s main page. For our example, click on http://www.microsoft.com/ and then click the Summary button.
This instantly opens up the privacy policy for the company. Note that the privacy summary includes the name of the website owner, a TRUSTe certificate, and a list of the site’s privacy policy statements.
Keep in mind that malicious website owners are not going to broadcast their privacy policies in this way; it’s not that kind of safety feature. This feature of IE9 lets you view the privacy policies of reputable companies.
Failure to comply with their own privacy policies has led to many lawsuits over how visitor information is collected and used. By displaying its privacy policy for all to see, it is less likely that the company will break it.
A website’s privacy policy is a legal statement telling visitors what information is collected and how it is used. Many times the statement revolves around cookies and how they are used while a visitor is on the website. Using a safety feature in Internet Explorer 9, you can instantly view a website’s privacy policy without having to hunt around for it on the site.
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