Microsoft wants to face both sides with the new privacy feature in IE9

Internet users will soon be able to stop certain websites from collecting their personal information as Microsoft is planning to launch a new feature for its latest web browser in a move to please both the federal online privacy legislation and its advertisers.

The new opt-in feature dubbed “tracking protection” builds on technology developed for Microsoft's current browser. It was downplayed as the world's largest software company tried to balance consumers' demands for privacy with advertisers' desire to gather data about users.

According to the statement made by Microsoft the technology is based on InPrivate Filtering, a little-used feature in Internet Explorer 8 that allowed certain sites to be blocked, but had to be switched on each time a new browser session was launched.

Microsoft said its "tracking protection" feature would meet demands being discussed by the FTC by allowing users the option of blocking content from certain advertisers within a Web page. Users can build their own lists of sites to block, or subscribe to lists prepared by outside sources.

Once a user blocks a site or element within a site, the browser limits data requests to that site to prevent exchange of information.

The new feature will be included in IE9, the latest version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, expected to be released some time next year.