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ActiveX Controls are pieces of software that supplement how your browser works. For example, some ActiveX Controls can play audio, video, or show images on a webpage. These controls may have an impact on the performance, security, and reliability ofInternet Explorer. ActiveX Filtering lets you browse the web with these controls turned off. When you view a webpage that has had ActiveX Controls filtered out, some content on the page might be disabled.

If you choose to turn on ActiveX Filtering, you can turn ActiveX Controls back on for a single website by clicking the ActiveXFiltering icon in the Address bar. When you turn off ActiveX Filtering on a website, Internet Explorer stores the address of the website on which you have chosen to disable ActiveX Filtering. You can delete this data at any time with Delete Browsing History.

To turn on ActiveX Filtering

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click ActiveX Filtering.

To turn off ActiveX Filtering on a specific website

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Filter button in the Address bar, and then click Turn off ActiveXFiltering.

To turn off ActiveX Filtering on all websites

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click ActiveX Filtering.

This feature in Internet Explorer is designed for use by developers and IT professionals to determine the compatibility of their websites with Internet Explorer. When you activate this feature, Internet Explorer logs data points about your interaction with webpages in an event log, which can be viewed with the Windows Event Viewer. These events describe failures that might have happened on the site and can include information about specific controls and webpages that failed. By default, this information can be viewed by all users on the computer unless an administrator restricts this access. For more information about logs and the use of the Windows Event Viewer, search Windows Help for “Event Viewer”.

The AutoComplete feature in Internet Explorer lets you more quickly fill out web forms and go to websites you have visited in the past. AutoComplete collects and stores in the registry on your computer the data you type in web form text boxes and the Address bar. If you choose to use AutoComplete for passwords, they’ll be stored in encrypted form on your computer. AutoComplete information is not shared with other user accounts on your computer.

The first time you submit a web form, you will see a message box that asks if you’d like to turn the AutoComplete functionality on.

To turn AutoComplete off

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Content tab, under AutoComplete, click Settings.
3. In the AutoComplete Settings dialog box, clear the appropriate check boxes for the options you don’t want to use, and then click OK.

To clear AutoComplete history

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the General tab, under Browsing history, click Delete.
3. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, select the Form data and Passwords check boxes, click Delete, and then click OK.

   Note: To clear web address entries, you must select the History check box, which also deletes your browsing history.

As you browse the web, Automatic Crash Recovery in Internet Explorer stores information about your browsing session on your hard disk in the event of a crash, hang, or other unexpected shutdown. If your browsing session is shut down unexpectedly,Internet Explorer offers you the opportunity to resume your last browsing session.

Automatic Crash Recovery stores the following information:

• The web address (URL) of the webpage in each tab.
• Each tab’s back/forward history (every site you visited in a tab in the order you visited them).
• The arrangement and ordering of the tabs.
• Data typed into web forms.

   

To turn off Automatic Crash Recovery

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Advanced tab, under Browsing, clear the Enable automatic crash recovery check box, and then click OK.

Note: Turning off Automatic Crash Recovery does not prevent Internet Explorer from saving information about your tabs; it only disables the recovery of your tabs or browsing session. None of this information is sent to Microsoft unless you choose to send it, such as in an error report.

Compatibility View helps make websites designed for older browsers look better when viewed in Internet Explorer. If you choose to view a website in Compatibility View, as a convenience to you, Internet Explorer will remember this choice and use Compatibility View the next time you visit the site. You can clear the list of websites you’ve chosen to display in Compatibility View by using Delete browsing history in Internet Explorer or the Compatibility View Settings dialog box.

For better website compatibility, you can turn on Compatibility View Updates. If you choose this option, Internet Explorer will periodically download an updated list of Compatibility View settings from Microsoft, and standard computer information will be sent. You can turn off Compatibility View Updates at any time.

To turn off Compatibility View Updates

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, press the Alt key, click Tools on the menu bar, and then click Compatibility View settings.
2. Clear the Download updated compatibility lists from Microsoft check box, and then click Close.

To use the Delete Browsing History feature

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click Delete browsing history.
2. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, select the items to delete, and then click Delete.

To view or modify the Compatibility View settings on your computer

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, press the Alt key, click Tools on the menu bar, and then click Compatibility View settings.

Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer lets you view, enable, and disable the list of add-ons that can be loaded byInternet Explorer. Add-ons you can manage include browser helper objects, ActiveX controls, toolbar extensions, explorer bars, browser extensions, search providers, Accelerators, and Tracking Protection settings.

Some add-ons could collect information from your computer or otherwise impact your privacy. If an add-on you are using is provided by a company other than Microsoft, the use of any information collected will be subject to that company’s privacy practices. If you choose to disable an add-on, the add-on might require you to restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.

To view or modify the add-ons on your computer

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Manage add-ons.
2. Under Show, click All add-ons, and then do either of the following:
   • To disable an add-on, click it, and then click Disable.
   • To enable an add-on, click it, and then click Enable.
3. Click Close.

Note: Disabling an add-on does not remove it from your computer. It only prevents Internet Explorer from running the add-on’s code—it does not prevent other software from using the add-on. Some add-ons also can be deleted from your computer by using Manage Add-ons.

If an add-on is disabled or deleted, website pages that rely on that add-on may not work as expected. For more information about add-ons, click the “Learn more about toolbars and extensions” help link in Manage Add-ons.

Pop-up Blocker in Internet Explorer helps block most unwanted pop-up windows from appearing without blocking the pop-up windows you deliberately open. Pop-up Blocker is turned on by default.

To turn off Pop-up Blocker

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box, and then click OK.

To access the Pop-up Blocker settings

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, click Settings.

Note: Not all pop-up windows can be blocked with Pop-up Blocker. For more information, see Internet Explorer Help.

With one click, Delete Browsing History in Internet Explorer lets you clear website passwords that you asked Internet Explorer to save, entries in the Internet Explorer history folder, web form data, temporary Internet files, cookies, the Last Tab Group, and files and settings stored by some Internet Explorer add-ons that have been saved on your computer. You can also clear some of these items individually, as explained in the “Removing old cookies” and “AutoComplete” sections of this privacy statement.

To use the Delete Browsing History feature

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click Delete browsing history.
2. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, select the items to delete (Temporary Internet files, cookies, history, form data, passwords, Tracking Protection data).
3. To keep data associated with your saved favorites, select the Preserve Favorites website data check box.
4. Click Delete, and then click OK.

InPrivate Browsing can help keep your browsing history private on shared computers such as at home, or in an Internet café or public kiosk. History data that is accumulated while browsing the web in an Internet Explorer InPrivate window, such as temporary Internet files, web address history, or cookies, will be removed when you close the window. History in otherInternet Explorer windows (not using InPrivate), will not be affected.

The InPrivate Browsing experience prevents local storage on your computer of the following:

• New cookies are not stored.
• New history entries will not be recorded.
• New temporary Internet files will be deleted after the InPrivate Browsing window is closed.
• Form data is not stored.
• Entered passwords are not stored.
• Addresses typed into the Address bar are not stored.
• Queries entered into the search box are not stored.

   

InPrivate Browsing is not designed to obscure your identity to your Internet provider or web servers on the Internet. It does not prevent data, such as your IP address, from being sent to websites you visit.

To turn on InPrivate Browsing

1. From the Start screen, tap or click the Internet Explorer tile, open the Tab bar, and then hold down the Add button (+) for several seconds. If you open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then clickInPrivate Browsing.
2. To turn off InPrivate Browsing, close the InPrivate Browsing window.

When you visit a website, you automatically share information with that website, such as cookies, your IP address, and other standard computer information. If the website contains content provided by a third-party website (for example a map, advertisement, or web measurement tools such as a web beacon or scripts), some information about you may be automatically sent to the content provider. This type of arrangement can have several benefits. It lets you conveniently access third-party content. The presence of advertising on a website you are visiting may let the website provide access to premium content at no charge. There can, however, be an impact to your privacy as a result because it is possible for the content providers to track you across multiple websites.

Tracking Protection helps prevent the websites you go to from automatically sending details about your visit to other content providers. Additionally, when you have a Tracking Protection List or Personalized Tracking Protection enabled, Internet Explorerwill send a Do Not Track signal or preference to the websites you visit. It will also send a Do Not Track preference to the third-party websites that provide content on the websites you visit if those third party sites have not been blocked by your Tracking Protection List. Websites may continue to engage in activities you might view as tracking even though you have expressed this preference, depending on the websites’ privacy practices.

Internet Explorer gives you the ability to view a website’s P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences standard) privacy policy and compare it to the privacy preferences you have set. Even if a website does not have a P3P privacy policy, it might have a written privacy statement that you can view.

To view a website’s P3P privacy policy

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click Webpage privacy policy.
2. Double-click the website whose privacy policy you want to view.

After reviewing a website’s P3P privacy policy, you can specify how you want Internet Explorer to handle cookies from that website. If you want Internet Explorer to determine whether or not to allow this website to save cookies on your computer by comparing the privacy policy with your privacy settings, select the Compare cookies’ Privacy Policy to my settings check box. If you want Internet Explorer to always allow cookies from this website to be saved on your computer, select the Always allow this site to use cookies check box. If you want Internet Explorer to never allow cookies from this website to be saved on your computer, select the Never allow this site to use cookies check box.

Note: Although Internet Explorer can display a website’s P3P privacy policy, Internet Explorer cannot verify that the website complies with its own privacy policy.

Accelerators let you use web service providers more quickly and easily. For example, you can highlight a word on a website, right-click, and select the “Define with Encarta” Accelerator to obtain a definition of a word without having to go to a separate website.

Internet Explorer has several Accelerators—including search, mapping, definition, and blogging Accelerators—that use Windows Live web services. You can add and remove Accelerators by using Manage Add-ons. When you click or move your mouse over an Accelerator, the title and full web address or URL of the current webpage, as well as standard computer information, and any content you have selected, might be sent to the service provider. If you use an Accelerator provided by Microsoft, the information sent is subject to the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement. If you use an Accelerator provided by a third-party, use of the information sent will be subject to the third-party’s privacy practices.

If you pin a website to Start, it will be displayed as a tile similar to the way your apps are displayed. Like your Windows Store apps, your website tiles might display updates if the website has been designed to do so. For example, an online email website might send updates to the tile indicating how many new messages you have.

To turn off tile updates for a website, select the tile in Start, and then tap or click Live tile off. You can also unpin the tile from Start to turn off tile updates. To clear the data stored on your computer for notifications and tile updates, swipe in from the right side of the Start screen or point to the upper-right corner, tap or click Settings, and then tap or click Settings. Under Clear personal info from my tiles, tap or click Clear.

Note: If you open Internet Explorer in the desktop, you can pin websites to the taskbar, but the website won’t display any updates.

If you enter text in the Address bar in Internet Explorer and it does not resolve as a valid web address, or the text begins with a question mark, “search,” “find,” or “go,” then Internet Explorer will redirect you to your default search provider to help you locate the site you are looking for. To provide this feature, Internet Explorer sends the invalid web address or the search query you typed to your default search provider, which returns web address options to your computer. Standard computer information might also be sent to your default search provider. If Bing is your default search provider, the information sent is subject to theMicrosoft Online Privacy Statement. If you use a third-party search provider as your default, then information sent to the provider will be subject to the third party’s privacy practices.

To turn AutoSearch off

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Advanced tab, under Browsing, select the Do not search from the Address bar check box.

Search suggestions in the Address bar can help you refine your search by offering suggested search terms as you type. If your selected search provider offers this capability, each letter or character you type in the Address bar will be sent to your search provider when you type it. Standard computer information is also sent to the search provider as you type. If you use a Microsoftsearch provider, the information sent is subject to the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement. If you use a third-party search provider, use of the information sent will be subject to the third party’s privacy practices. By default, search suggestions are turned off.

To turn on search suggestions

1. Click the arrow to the right of the Address bar.
2. Click Turn on suggestions (send keystrokes to <search provider name>).

To turn off search suggestions

1. Click the arrow to the right of the Address bar.
2. Click Turn off search suggestions.

Web Slices let you automatically subscribe to and receive updates from webpages that change frequently, and view the updates without having to load the entire website. For example, you can subscribe to a Seattle, Washington weather Web Slice that updates when the current temperature changes. When you subscribe to a Web Slice or feed, you turn on automatic updating for all of your Web Slices and feeds. Your IP address will be sent periodically to the website that provides each Web Slice or feed to check for updates, even when Internet Explorer is not running.

To remove a Web Slice

1. On the Favorites bar, right-click the Web Slice that you want to remove.
2. Click Delete, and then click Yes.

To turn off automatic updates for Web Slices and feeds

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Content tab, under Feeds and Web Slices, click Settings.
3. Clear the Automatically check feeds and Web Slices for updates check box, and then click OK.

If you’ve turned on Windows Update to receive updates automatically, you’ll receive updates to Internet Explorer, including upgrades to new versions. These updates are installed without interrupting you. If you would prefer to choose whether and when you receive an upgrade to a new version of Internet Explorer via Windows Update, you may do so.

To turn off automatic version upgrades

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click About Internet Explorer.
2. Clear the Install new versions automatically check box, and then click OK.

If you turn off automatic version upgrades, you’ll still be offered a new version of Internet Explorer if you have Windows Update turned on, but it won’t be installed automatically. For more information about Windows Update and your privacy, see the Update Services privacy statement.

The Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) collects basic information about your computer and how you useInternet Explorer to help us improve the quality, reliability, and performance of our software and services. CEIP reports generally include information about your hardware configuration, a unique identifier generated by CEIP, performance and reliability data (such as how quickly the software responds when you click a button), and program use (such as which features you use most often).

Microsoft uses CEIP reports to improve our software and services. We use the unique identifier to distinguish how widespread the feedback we receive is and how to prioritize it. For example, the identifier allows Microsoft to distinguish between one customer experiencing a problem one hundred times and other customers experiencing the same problem once. Microsoft does not use the information collected by CEIP to identify, contact, or target advertising to you.

Internet Explorer uses your Windows CEIP setting. For more information about how to change the setting, see the Windows 8 Consumer Preview privacy statement.

Location Services in Internet Explorer let websites request your physical location in order to improve their services. For example, a mapping website can request your physical location in order to center the map for you.

When you visit a website that uses Location Services, you can choose whether or not to allow the website access to your location information. If you choose to allow a website access, Internet Explorer will contact a Microsoft location service to attempt to determine your computer’s physical location. This service uses your IP address and data from nearby Wi‑Fi access points, if available.

Based on the information received, the Microsoft location service will determine your computer’s approximate location and provide it to the requesting website. The location information provided includes the latitude and longitude of your computer. It does not provide the requesting website information about available cell towers or Wi‑Fi access points or any unique identifiers from your computer.

If you choose to not allow a website access to your physical location, no location data will be sent to the website, and no data will be sent to the Microsoft location service. If you choose to allow a webpage access to your physical location once, then the website will only have access to your location while you are viewing that webpage. If you choose to always allow a website access to your physical location, each time you visit any page on that site, it will be able to request information about your physical location. The website’s use of your location information will be subject that site’s privacy practices.

To turn on Location Services

• When you receive a request for location from a website, do one of the following:
  • To provide your location only once, click Allow once.
  • To provide your location every time you visit the website, click More options for this site, and then click Always allow.

To turn off Location Services

1. Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. On the Privacy tab, select the Never allow websites to request your physical location check box, and then clickOK.

SmartScreen Filter is designed to help warn you about unsafe websites that are impersonating trusted websites (phishing) or contain threats to your computer. If you opt in to SmartScreen Filter, it first checks the address of the webpage you are visiting against a list of high-traffic webpage addresses stored on your computer that are believed by Microsoft to be legitimate. Addresses that are not on the local list and the addresses of files you are downloading will be sent to Microsoft and checked against a frequently updated list of webpages and downloads that have been reported to Microsoft as unsafe or suspicious. You might also choose to use SmartScreen Filter manually to verify individual sites with Microsoft. Additionally, if you download or run a program from the Internet, SmartScreen will check the program against a list of commonly downloaded and known unsafe programs to help protect you from running unsafe programs.

When you use SmartScreen Filter to check websites automatically or manually, the address of the website you are visiting will be sent to Microsoft, together with standard computer information and the SmartScreen Filter version number. To help protect your privacy, the information sent to Microsoft is encrypted. Information that may be associated with the address, such as search terms or data you entered in forms might be included. For example, if you visited the Microsoft.com search website at http://search.microsoft.com and entered “Seattle” as the search term, the full address http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?q=Seattle&qsc0=0&FORM=QBMH1&mkt=en-US will be sent. Address strings might unintentionally contain personal information, but this information, like the other information sent, is not used to identify, contact, or target advertising to you. In addition,Microsoft filters address strings to try to remove personal information where possible. When you use Internet Explorer to download a program, SmartScreen Filter will send the information above, along with information about the downloaded program, such as a file identifier (a “hash”), results from installed antivirus tools, and the program’s digital certificate information, if available.

Periodically, information about your usage of SmartScreen Filter will also be sent to Microsoft, such as the time and total number of websites browsed since an address was sent to Microsoft for analysis. Some information about files that you download from the web, such as name and file path, might also be sent to Microsoft. Some website addresses that are sent to Microsoft might be stored along with additional information, including web browser version, operating system version, SmartScreen Filter version, the browser language, the referring webpage, and information about whether Compatibility View was enabled for the website. A unique identifier generated by Internet Explorer is also sent. The unique identifier is a randomly generated number that does not contain any personal information and is not used to identify you. This information, along with the information described above, is only used to analyze performance and improve the quality of our products and services.

SmartScreen Filter can be turned on and off from the Internet Explorer Safety menu. For example, to turn on automatic checking of all websites:

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click Turn on SmartScreen Filter.

If you believe you have encountered an unsafe website, you can report it to Microsoft by clicking the Tools button, pointing toSafety, and then clicking Report unsafe website. When you report an unsafe website, some information will be sent toMicrosoft, including the address of the site you are reporting, and the usage information described above.

Suggested Sites is an online experience that recommends websites, images, or videos you might be interested in. When you turn on Suggested Sites, your web browsing history is periodically sent to Microsoft, where it is saved and then compared to a frequently updated list of websites that are similar to sites you often visit. Suggested Sites also turns on automatic background updating for Web Slices and feeds, so that you can receive up-to-date suggestions on both the Suggested Sites page and the Suggested Sites Web Slice.

You can choose to pause or stop the Suggested Sites feature from sending your web browsing history to Microsoft at any time. You can also delete individual entries from your history at any time. Deleted entries will not be used to provide you with suggestions for other websites, although they will be retained by Microsoft for a period of time to help improve our products and services, including this feature. When you use InPrivate Browsing, no information about the webpages you visit will be sent toMicrosoft.

When Suggested Sites is turned on, information about the webpages you visit is sent to Microsoft, together with standard computer information. This includes the addresses of the webpages you visit as well as information about images and videos included on the page. To help protect your privacy, the information is encrypted when sent to Microsoft. Information associated with the web address, such as search terms or data you entered in forms, might be included. For example, if you visited theMicrosoft.com search website at http://search.microsoft.com and entered “Seattle” as the search term, the full address http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?q=Seattle&qsc0=0&FORM=QBMH1&mkt=en-US will be sent. Address strings might unintentionally contain personal information, but this information, like the other information sent, is not used to identify, contact, or target advertising to you. In addition, Microsoft filters address strings to try to remove personal information.

Statistics about the webpages you visit will also be sent to Microsoft, such as the time that webpages were visited, which webpage referred you, and how you got there (for example, by clicking a link or one of your Favorites). A unique identifier generated by Internet Explorer is also sent. The unique identifier is a randomly generated number that does not contain any personal information and is not used to identify you. If you delete your browsing history or if you turn Suggested Sites off and back on again, a new unique identifier will be created. We do not correlate old unique identifiers with new ones. This information, along with the website addresses and past history, will be used to personalize your experience, as well as to improve the quality of our products and services.

To turn on Suggested Sites

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to File, click Suggested Sites, and then click Yes.

To turn off Suggested Sites

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to File, click Suggested Sites, and then click No.

Note: Turning off Suggested Sites does not clear your history and does not turn off automatic updates for feeds and Web Slices.

To delete your browsing history (with or without turning off Suggested Sites)

• Open Internet Explorer in the desktop, click the Tools button, point to Safety, and then click Delete browsing history.

The information we collect from you will be used by Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates to enable the features you are using and provide the services or carry out the transactions you have requested or authorized. It may also be used to analyze and improve Microsoft products and services.

In order to offer you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with Microsoft, information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services. We may also supplement the information we collect with information obtained from other companies. For example, we might use services from other companies that enable us to derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your geographic area.

Except as described in this statement, information you provide will not be transferred to third parties without your consent. We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as answering customer questions about products or services, or performing statistical analysis of our services. We will only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose. Microsoftmay access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the services; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public.

Information that is collected by or sent to Microsoft by Internet Explorer may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland.

Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer systems with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities.

We may occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will revise the “last updated” date at the top of the privacy statement. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to be informed of how Microsoft is protecting your information.