Consumer Reports Electronics Blog: Online privacy: New tool makes it easier to hide your tracks

July 6, 2009

Online privacy: New tool makes it easier to hide your tracks

Here’s your chance to easily opt out of many of those ad-trackers that follow your every move as you surf the Internet. A new, free tool called TACO, or Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-Out, lets you do just that.

Developed by a student fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, TACO places cookies in your browser that prevent 84 online ad networks from tracking your browsing habits. Right now, the tool works only with the Firefox browser.

Without TACO, you’d have to visit a large number of Web sites individually and opt out of each network’s program. —Donna Tapellini

Comments

Posted by: ed in texas | Jul 8, 2009 12:23:49 PM

Note: only works in FireFox

Posted by: Ryan | Jul 7, 2009 12:35:58 AM

This sounds like 84 kinds of awesome. I'm about to click on the link to go to the TACO site but wanted to know if I'm the only person who doesn't quite understand what this software or add-on will be doing when I'm told it makes 84 opt-out cookies.

Posted by: Bob | Jul 6, 2009 4:46:36 PM

Alternatively, set your browser to not accept third party cookies, that'll also block all (or at least almost all) tracking cookies.

Posted by: Tom | Jul 6, 2009 4:20:23 PM

Looks good, going to give this one a try.

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