Might Yahoo Launching a Do Not Track Feature Help it Regain Some Market Share?

news yahooDo Not Track is one of the key pieces to a new privacy initiative backed by the White House, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and various privacy advocates. Quite a few internet players have agreed to comply by introducing features that better protect the privacy of users online. Among them are AOL, Google, and Microsoft. Yahoo has also added its name to the hat, and for the ailing internet giant, this could be a move that helps it return to prominence.

The Heat is On

Yahoo recently announced that it plans to incorporate a Do Not Track mechanism across all the products and services within its global network. The willingness to comply is in response to a strong urge from the Federal Trade Commission for the major personal data collectors in the internet space to implement better practices in accordance to the new privacy initiative being devised by lawmakers. The agency is warning web browser makers and other companies that they will face legal consequences if these practices are not implemented by the end of 2012.

According to Yahoo, it has been working on a Do Not Track system since last year. At this point, it is unclear what that system will actually consist of. The company simply let it be known that it is developing a network-wide mechanism that will provide a convenient way for users to specify how they would prefer to be targeted with advertising content. With what is currently known about Do Not Track, it is very likely that Yahoo will be introducing features that give users the ability to enhance their privacy via popular web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple’s Safari.

Internet companies are rushing to get onboard with Do Not Track because well, they really don’t have much of a choice from a legal standpoint. However, Yahoo’s motives may be a bit different. Any attention and exposure it can get out of the deal could possibly help it get back on track. In the internet community, it is no secret that Yahoo has been experiencing difficulties for what has now been an extended period. comScore’s data revealed that Bing surpassed Yahoo in the search market for the first time ever in January 2012. Unfortunately, the trouble runs deeper than search.

Drastic Measures

On Wednesday April 4, Yahoo announced that it will be laying off 2,000 workers – that’s 14% of the current labor force. The cutback is a part of a rebuilding effort designed to resuscitate the ailing internet company. This move will reportedly save roughly $375 million a year. Seems as if the company had no other choice than to reduce staff after reporting declines in revenue for 12 straight quarters. Yahoo has major restructuring going on within and is said to be exploring various options to stay afloat. Will it be enough? All may be revealed very soon.

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