SEATTLE — Microsoft Corp. is adding features to its Internet Explorer browser that let users create “Do Not Call’’ lists for the Internet.
Internet Explorer 9 will bar listed websites from tracking what users do on the Web, said Dean Hachamovitch, a Microsoft vice president. The controls also limit what content blocked sites can display to users.
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission called for a do-not-track option for browsing and pressed advertisers to be clearer about how they handle user data. Currently, advertisers record consumers’ movements on the Internet and compile a profile of their interests to better target ads.
The so-called Tracking Protection features will be in the near-final version of Internet Explorer 9, available early next year.
Anyone can create tracking lists and share them with users who want to adopt that list. Users can install multiple lists and also designate any Web pages on those lists as safe.
Many websites display content aggregated from other sites. If a user blocks a site, that site’s content also won’t show up when the user visits a permitted site that happens to display information from the banned one.
Explorer is the most popular browser, with 58 percent of the market, but has been losing share.
