Internet Explorer 9 delivers improved security

Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9 today. This release improves security, privacy and reliability.

Tracking protection. Some content on websites can be used to track your activity as you browse the Web. Tracking Protection allows you to limit the browser’s communication with certain websites – determined by a Tracking Protection List – to help keep your information private. Anyone can create Tracking Protection Lists, and some are available today.

ActiveX filtering. ActiveX is a technology that allows Web developers to create interactive content on their sites, but it also can pose a security risk. Internet Explorer 9 allows you to block ActiveX Controls for all sites and, with the new ActiveX Filtering option, turn them back on for only the sites that you trust.

Hang recovery. In Internet Explorer 9, this feature isolates the impact of a hung tab to the individual tab, so that other tabs and the overall browser continue to operate. When a website hangs because of a long-running script or other operation, it causes your browser to become nonresponsive.

Hang recovery in Internet Explorer 9 means you can continue browsing on other tabs. This new feature complements tab isolation and automatic crash recovery, which also helps keep you browsing and prevents loss of information.

Compatibility view. You can feel good knowing that your favorite websites will run in the newest version of Internet Explorer. If Internet Explorer 9 detects a website that has not specified its desired display mode, the Compatibility View button appears next to the Refresh button on the Address Bar.

Pressing the Compatibility View button causes Internet Explorer 9 to switch to a legacy document mode. The state of the button is saved for that Web page, so there is no need to press it again when you return to the same page at a later time.

Automatic updates. Getting the latest browser updates helps keep you protected over time. You can choose to have important updates installed automatically, once they are made available.

Automatically installed updates can include security updates, critical updates, definition updates, update rollups and service packs through Windows Update.

Group Policy support. For IT professionals, Internet Explorer 9 continues to provide excellent Group Policy support. With nearly 1,500 Group Policy settings, including new settings to support Windows Internet Explorer 9 features, IT professionals have the control they need to manage Internet Explorer installations after deployment.

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