According to the New York Times, the two companies this week announced the implementation of new features that would allow users to opt out of being tracked by third-party advertisers online. If you've ever encountered an eerily specific ad online, it's the result of advertisers tracking your web surfing habits and generating content based on what you view the most.

 

In the near future both Chrome and Firefox will now be able to ensure your true anonymity online. Alex Fowler, technology and privacy officer at Mozilla revealed in a recent blog post the new “Do Not Track HTTP header”. The proposed solution would send a signal to the third-party advertiser or commercial website in question, indicating that the user did not want to be tracked. It would then rely on the company in question to agree not to collect data.

 

Google's solution on the other hand will be employed via the browser's familiar extensions (plug-ins) and will be called “Keep My Opt-Outs”. The plug-in will allow internet users to permanently opt out of being tracked by advertisers already supporting opt-out options through initiatives such as the Digital Advertising Alliance and the Network Advertising Initiative.

 

The extension will work with all versions of Chrome, while Google revealed in a blog post that it would offer the code to developers on an open-source basis and that it planned to migrate the feature to other browsers in the future.

 

It remains to be seen which of the features will pick up or whether alternative methods of protecting our information will be realised. At present, Mozilla's solution still relies on a company's integrity while Google's may not be applicable to all websites.