Microsoft Excites Engage "TrustLabels" Advocates

According to Engage Inc. , a Microsoft announcement Thursday noted that Engage’s new TrustLabels specification would be considered for inclusion in upcoming versions of Internet Explorer.

Internet marketer Engage said Thursday it was “encouraged” by the Microsoft statement, included in an announcement on cookie management features.

The Microsoft announcement comes just two days after Engage submitted an enhanced specification of the TrustLabels standard to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). According to Engage, the new TrustLabels specification will provide consumers with an instant alert from their Web browser when they encounter third party cookies that are not certified by authorities or seal programs. TrustLabels also, Engage says, allows cookies to limit the number of times any one advertisement is displayed.

“We are pleased that a significant industry player such as Microsoft has joined Engage and others in this ongoing dialog with policy makers and privacy advocates to better promote consumer awareness and choice regarding online data collection and use,” said Paul Schaut, president and chief executive officer of Engage.

“Our own efforts in this field have been ongoing for several years, but this represents an important first step for Microsoft and the Internet community in the evolution of the browser,” said Schaut.

Engage said earlier this week that will lobby aggressively for the implementation of TrustLabels as a free browser plug-in. The company said it believes the use of TrustLabels will allow the Internet marketers to continue to measure advertising, while simultaneously protecting consumers from privacy violations.