The Channel Wire

August 26, 2008

Later this week when Microsoft releases beta 2 of Internet Explorer 8, users will be able to surf the Web with more privacy than they've ever enjoyed in the past. And that's something that, um, certain Web users will probably really appreciate.

In a Monday blog post, Andy Zeigler, program manager for IE8, said IE users have long been concerned both about what other folks might see in their browser history and about Websites that gather data about their browsing habits.

In response, Microsoft is adding features to IE8 beta 2 that give more control over their history, cookies, and other data that IE stores.

One such feature, called InPrivate Browsing -- also known in certain circles as 'porn mode' -- lets users decide whether or not they want IE to save their browsing history, cookies, and other data.

"If you are using a shared PC, a borrowed laptop from a friend, or a public PC, sometimes you don't want other people to know where you've been on the Web," Zeigler wrote. "Internet Explorer 8's InPrivate Browsing makes that 'over the shoulder' privacy easy by not storing history, cookies, temporary Internet files, or other data."

Additional new features in IE beta 2 include: InPrivate Blocking, which alerts users to Web content that can potentially observe their browsing history; InPrivate Subscriptions, which lets users specify lists of Websites to block or allow; and Delete Browsing History, which is fairly self-explanatory.