Tracking Protection

Microsoft goes even farther towards protecting users from third-party site tracking. The browser's innovative Tracking Protection feature is the company's response to the FCC's call for such a feature. This allows users to block tracking sites (such as DoubleClick) from following your Web surfing history and tracking you. The tracking it protects you from is mostly a technique for Web advertisers to profile you, and this IE9 feature is akin to the "Do Not Call" list aimed at telemarketers.

You can enable the feature explicitly in settings and choose a list provider of sites to block, or have it automatically create a list based on how often a third-party site phones home from different sites you visit. For example, if you go to ten different sites, all of which contain DoubleClick elements, DoubleClick gets added to your personal list. You also have the option to allow these tracking sites, if the idea of targeted advertising appeals to you. This technique requires less buy-in from all sites than Mozilla and Google's anti-tracking initiatives, so I consider it more flexible and comprehensive.