Though Internet Explorer users will be able to adjust P3P settings to their liking, the software will arrive preset to one particular level. That default level will govern a consumer's interactions with the Web unless the consumer decides to alter it. Microsoft makes the software, so it will decide the default. Michael Wallent, head of the company's Internet Explorer division, says Microsoft had to make a Solomonic choice between privacy protection and ease of use because anything that disrupts rapid Web surfing is likely to simply be turned off by users. The result, which Mr. Wallent demonstrated for The Wall Street Journal Monday, is a default that puts new restrictions on the placement of cookies, blocking some and making others temporary.
Cookies are tiny files that Web sites can place on visitors' computers.
They allow sites to identify users on repeat visits and aid in tracking users' movements across the Web. But that puts the onus on consumers to sign up for the other sites' opt-out provision. Microsoft officials say it simply isn't realistic to impose a default setting that blocks most advertising and data collection. Microsoft has flirted with various user options and now seems likely to settle on a five-point scale. Microsoft's default will be in the middle.