It's good to see microsoft bringing to market useful tools in an accessible way. It's all very well these things being available on other products (apple etc) but they are hardly mainsteam and always at a ridiculous premium.

gerry, clydebank,

I am more excited about Adobe AIR... This is a technology that allows web developers to build desktop applications using applications and knowledge they already have.(Flash) Interestingly Adobe included a built in browser built from Webkit. Basically, any application could have a browser in it!

Elliot, Hilliard, USA

@Dan - "those who believe Firefox is inherently superior to IE and more secure are deluding themselves"

You're obviously not a web developer or an internet security consultant. By all means, stick with Windows/IE, just don't moan when you're computer gets hijacked or your bank account empties...

Alastair, Alicante, Spain

So Microsoft are launching 'Privite Browsing' nice of them to catch up with Safari 3 from Apple. Maybe the next quantum leap will be for Microsoft to launch an operating system that is as easy to use and stable as Mac OS 10.5 Leopard!

Mark, Dubai, UAE

Ha, this won't help people do things illegally. People in the business know the way to leave limited traces on a PC is to run a browser FROM A USB DRIVE, leaving minimal forensic evidence on the PC itself, just the USB.
: )
This is old news anyway, FF is king!

Me, London, UK

I don't see this as a problem for Google for a number of reasons:
Google already offer a privacy opt-out. Second, the some footprint cookies are from Google's site anyway (if not all). Sites are likely to be able to read their own cookies. Thank God IE is improving: it has been backward for years.

Andy, London,

Safari's Private Browsing mode has been abused by sex hungry teenagers and adults alike for over three years now. It's becoming ridiculous even to point out any "new" features on Apple's products any more...

Viktor Cerni, london, uk

Adam...I guess the fact that IE Explorer has about 52% of the marketplace compared to Safari's 2.5% makes Explorer "far more prominent." Interesting, tho, to see Firefox top the 40% market share level this summer.

Norman, Ottawa, Canada

Opera is also a better browser than IE ...

H E Torrance, London, England

Well, Mike of London, your argument is like saying we should ban kitchen knives because murderers might be able to use them to commit crimes.

Arthur Morgan, Fayetteville, AR, USA

Mike, re-read the article, and pay attention to the part that says "Although casual users cannot see the previous user’s search history, authorities such as the police will be able to access it if necessary. "

I for one support this idea, and use a third party program to do this at the moment.

Rooney, Harlow, UK

I can see this "improvement" being very popular with paedophiles. Transfer all their pics to private online photo browsers, and no need for them to be worried about having their computers seized by the police when this is released.

Mike, London, England

Microsoft is too late, I m using Firefox or Opera, because they are better and more secure, doesnt have tipical IE errors. Every Microsoft products have many errors. Unix systems rules.

Don, LONDON, UK

those who believe Firefox is inherently superior to IE and more secure are deluding themselves

dan, Manchester, UK

How is Safari's "Private Browsing" less prominent than this one?
The option for private browsing has been in Apple's safari for quite a while, and sits right in the program menu, whenever its run.
Please substantiate such claims as Microsoft's "is far more prominent", because I'm not convinced.

Adam, Oxford,

BaiDaLong, how can I scramble my IP and avoid Google getting to my door

hardik, london, uk

Firefox does all this and more and lets you get rid of you history tottaly not like microsfot keeping a secret copy for the police on your HD.

I use flash blocker stops me having to too see the pop ups or any advertising on the times, thou i would not have to block pops if you did no use them.

MR W Jones, Liverpool, England

Hmm, hasn't Apple had this for years, with the Safari "private Browsing" button?

Marc, Paris, France

BaiDaLong, there's a difference between privacy and stealing. As sites survive by advertising, you basically having a meal then leaving without paying. If you don't like a site's advertising, don't visit it.

Tony, Islington, London, UK

At the moment AdWords doesn't offer any behavioural targeting, so wouldn't this just mean that the ads are rendered "only" as targeted as they are now? Given the success of the current targeting modeI I think labeling it as a "Serious Threat" is slightly over the top. A+ for misleading headline.

Stephen, Dublin,

More and more people that are fed up with IE bugs and vulnerabilities are switching to other, read Firefox, Opera, Safari, browsers. I am one of them. IE is so tied into the OS that it is a severe risk to your security if you use it.This action by MS is welcomed but a late move.

David Sars, exeter, UK

Good old Micro$oft, always a year or two behind the competition...

"Although casual users cannot see the previous user’s search history, authorities such as the police will be able to access it if necessary" - in other words it doesn't really work anyway.

Alastair, Alicante, Spain

It's easy to confuse Google. I use a system that scrambles my IP address and runs my browser in a 'sandbox' so that advertising can't get in at all. My Internet connection runs three times as fast as it did before. If Google want to sell my eyeballs to advertisers then they'll have to pay me.

BaiDaLong, Brisbane,

Umm, clearly you don't understand how these things work. Google gathers it's data independent of the browser history.

Josh, Burwood,

I am a software engineer. I don't think it would affect that much. MS IE has to maintain the session (cookie) at least temporarily otherwise almost 80% of the web applications won't work including yahoo mail. So google has to work within that limitation.

Theepan, Ottawa, Canada

Too late. Firefox is clearly a superior browser. I only use MS products when I have no other choice.

Kevin Finnerty, Atlanta, USA