Yahoo has decided that it’s now time to start implementing a Do Not Track system across its various Web properties. The company is one of the last large Web content providers to officially commit to using a DNT technology, and Yahoo said that it plans to have the system implemented by early summer.
It’s not clear exactly how Yahoo plans to implement a Do Not Track technology, but the company said that the system will be site-wide and will cover the company’s Right Media and interclick subsidiaries.
“Yahoo! has been a leader in the DNT discussion and has a proven history of providing enhanced transparency and heightened control to its users. This implementation continues our leadership in user privacy where Yahoo! was among the first to launch an Ad Interest Manager three years ago and the industry AdChoices Icon program two years ago. With this new feature, Yahoo! continues its leadership in privacy innovation while continuing to create the free online services consumers demand that are made possible through advertising,” the company said in a statement.
Yahoo officials said that their Do Not Track implementation has been in development since 2011 and that it will be a simple way for consumers to turn on the DNT option. In most DNT implementations, which typically exist in browsers, users simply click on an option in the browser’s settings to tell sites that they don’t want to be tracked. What that does is instruct the browser to send a specific header to each site that includes the user’s DNY preference.
Microsoft and Mozilla have had DNT implementations in their browsers for some time now, and Google recently said that it will implement the technology in Chrome sometime soon, as well. The idea behind DNT systems is to enable consumers to stop sites from tracking them across the Web with special cookies and other technologies. Some members of Congress have been pushing for the broad implementation of DNT, including Mary Bono Mack.
“We applaud Chairman Bono Mack for her leadership and thoughtful approach to online privacy issues and her foresight to call a hearing on this issue today. Yahoo! looks forward to continuing the dialogue with policymakers to discuss commonsense solutions that protect user privacy while maintaining the free Internet model,” Yahoo said in its statement.
