KEY POINTS:
Internet Explorer will get more privacy powers when the beta version of IE8 is released later this week.
The official Microsoft IEBlog has outlined a number of changes for the next beta version, admitting that many users were concerned about "over-the-shoulder privacy".
"Have you ever wanted to take your web browsing 'off the record'?" asks the blog.
"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."
The new InPrivate feature stops Explorer from saving temporary internet files, cookies and history, and can be user-customised.
When activated, InPrivate won't store new cookies, but still allows existing cookies to be read. Additionally, new history entries, search queries, form data, passwords and temporary web files will be purged at the end of the internet session.
It is basically a step forward from the IE7 tool 'Delete Browsing History', which didn't allow data - such as cookies from often-visited websites - to be retained if the user wanted the option.
IE8 will address the problem of forgotten favourites by adding an option to preserve favourite website data.
InPrivate Blocking will also warn users of third-party content which gives others information about browsing habits without using cookies, and offer to prevent communication with this type of content.
Apple's Safari internet browser already offers private browsing while Mozilla's Firefox - in standard form - does not have that feature.
The second beta version of Internet Explorer 8 is targeted at consumers rather than the developer community that Beta 1 was aimed at.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
