Internet Explorer 6.0
For more information on Microsoft's implementation of P3P in Internet Explorer 6.0, visit the Microsoft Developers' Network.
Microsoft has incorporated an implementation of P3P in its newest Web browser, Internet Explorer 6.0. This implementation is designed to provide Web users with the controls to determine what information they are willing to share with Web sites they visit and under what circumstances this information will be shared. These settings are then used to seamlessly manage the information-sharing requests made by the Web sites the user visits, based on the user's preferences.
Cookie Controls
At its most basic level, Internet Explorer 6.0 enables users to manage their privacy by giving them control over cookies based on the stated purpose of the cookie. This enables users to determine what Web sites they share information with and how those sites use that information.
Internet Explorer 6.0 does this by comparing the cookie's machine-readable compact policy, which is a one-line summary of the site's P3P policy, with the user's privacy settings. If the settings do not match or the cookie does not have a compact policy the cookie is either blocked or restricted.
In most cases, this process will be entirely invisible to the user. Only in a few instances, when certain information requests are made that conflict with the user's settings or if certain information requests are made from sites without P3P policies, some graphics or Web site customizations may function at a degraded capacity.
In those cases that a cookie does not match the user's privacy settings, the user will be notified by an eyeball and European do not enter sign icon in the browser's bottom left icon tray. By clicking on this icon, users will be able to see what cookies were blocked, whether their sites have P3P privacy statements and, if so, what these statements are.
View this chart for more information on how Internet Explorer 6.0 handles cookies.
Privacy Report
When the privacy icon appears, users will be able to click on it to view a Privacy Report on the Web site's P3P policy summary. This window will display any Web sites who do not have P3P-compliant policies or whose policies do not meet the user's privacy settings. You can also view the privacy report by clicking on "View" on the browser's toolbar and selecting the "Privacy Report" setting. The viewable P3P privacy summaries provided in the Privacy Report provide a common language and set of references for users to understand the privacy policies of the sites they visit. These summaries represent the human-readable version of the machine-readable XML P3P policies.
Setting Privacy Preferences
Internet Explorer 6.0's privacy controls are presented to users on a sliding scale of six settings in the Internet Options menu. The highest setting, Block All Cookies, denies all Web site requests for information regardless of privacy policy. The lowest setting, Accept All Cookies, allows Web sites to gather any information requested from the user. Microsoft also provides four intermediate settings, High, Medium High, Medium, and Low, which block or reduce the functionality and information uses of cookies based on their P3P privacy policies.
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