WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas), Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus co-Chairs, released the following statement after today’s announcement from Yahoo that the company will not recognize do not track signals from the Internet Explorer 10 browser, which sets Do Not Track as a default setting. The lawmakers endorse ‘Do Not Track’ as the default setting for all Internet browsers.
 
“We are disappointed that Yahoo has chosen to disregard an important rule of the road by not honoring the do not track signal from the Internet Explorer 10 browser. If consumers want to be tracked online, they should have to opt-in, not the other way around.  Yahoo seems to be operating on the ‘do not honor code’ by ignoring this valuable tool that protects consumer privacy.

“We have long endorsed a standard that allows consumers to affirmatively choose whether to permit collection of their personal information and targeting of advertisements. Consumers, not corporations, should be in charge of their personal information. Until we have stronger privacy laws in place that mandate a company adhere to a consumer’s preference, especially for children and teens, consumers and their personal information will remain at risk.”
 
This summer, the lawmakers sent a letter to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) urging the group to embrace a global standard for ‘Do Not Track’ technology and applauding Microsoft’s leadership in consumer choice. In the letter to the W3C, the lawmakers urged the international group to ensure that any Do Not Track definition agreed to within the W3C enables consumers to block not just targeted advertising but also the collection, use, sharing, or sale of their information.
 
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