IP: from an anonymous IPer -- Re: Online Privacy Move Raises New Antitrust Concerns for Microsoft

[David Farber <dfarber () fast net>]

"This whole situation is quite bizarre. Microsoft is actually
doing the right thing here by providing mechanisms to allow
people to block third-party cookies, and the network advertisers
are all over them for it. The article correctly points out that
Microsoft isn't doing anything much different from what
is already implemented in Netscape, but the network
advertisers are conveniently ignoring this fact. The trust-labels 
spec that the ad networks want Microsoft to implement was 
developed by the companies that do online profiling, with 
no input from consumers, and doesn't really do much to help 
protect consumer privacy (similar things have been said 
about the NAI agreement with the FTC as well). I am 
amazed at all the whining I have heard from the network
advertisers that by adding the ability to allow people to
block third-party cookies, Microsoft will put them out of 
business and also destroy the Internet as we know it.
What the article doesn't mention, is that Microsoft is also 
committed to implementing P3P some time next year, and that 
P3P will give people much more fine-grained control over cookies."