Use Google Chrome's "Do Not Track" option...if you can find it

The FTC has requested that browser makers come up with some mechanism that allows Web browser users to prevent their online activities from being stored and profiled by Web entities. The first response to this, coming late in 2009, was Internet Explorer 9's Tracking Protection feature, which lets users subscribe to blacklists from privacy organizations such as TrustE and PrivacyChoice. A month later came Mozilla's Do Not Track proposal.

Finally this week, after about 3 years of foot-dragging, Do Not Track arrived in a released version of Chrome. It should be noted that Google only said that it would be adding the feature after the White House put out a Privacy Bill of Rights with the suggestion that Congress would develop legislation that gives the FTC and State Attorneys General authority to enforce the protections.

So, after updating your Chrome browser to version 23, with the spanking new Do Not Track support, you might say "Where is it?"  You might think, oh, it must be turned on by default, since Google would surely want to protect my browsing privacy, and 75 percent of users say they'd like it on by default. Not so. It's off by default in Chrome. So, click that menu button that used to be a wrench but now has three lines, for Settings. Hmm, nothing there about Do Not Track. Nothing under "Tools." Choose "Settings" from the menu. Still no dice. Ah, but go all the way to the bottom of the page and click "Show advanced settings"—and voilà! "Advanced settings" - that won't scare non-technical consumers away, right?

But even if you braved the "advanced" designation and did find the Do Not Track checkbox, the very last option under Privacy, you're not out of the woods yet. When you click this unconfusing "Send a ‘Do Not Track request with your browsing traffic" option, you get a long wordy message about how the setting may do nothing to protect your privacy and will deprive you of targeted advertising. It also notes that sites can still collect your browsing history, but just may not use it to customize your ads.

Thanks for keeping it simple Google.