User Tools Full of Flaws

Some of the user tools available for Internet users are designed to help people adjust their privacy levels while browsing on the Internet. However, recent studies have proven that the user tools are flawed and most people are not receiving the amount of privacy they are expecting.

User tools from popular Internet browsing websites such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox have proven to be far too difficult for the average person. Because the user tools are complicated to comprehend completely, most of the people who have been using them have not been using them correctly.

Whereas most of the user tools have different settings for users to enable what they want and do not want displayed, because the directions for the privacy settings are not very clear, most of the users ended up blocking out all types of ads instead of ads that they would obviously not have an interest in.

Another one of the major problems with the user tools is that there are hardly any explanations as to how to use them. Not every user will be tech-savvy or extremely knowledgeable in this department and therefore, they may need extra guidance on how to use the tools. With the lack of explanation on how to actually work and configure the tools, most users find them very difficult to use. Users who were able to configure certain user tools were still left in the dark because there was still little to no explanation on what the tools were being used for or how they even work.

The research from the study proves that there are several flaws with these user tools that need to be fixed. In fact, Rob Shavell, a co founder of the online privacy company, Abine, has agreed with the study and says, “People need easier-to-use tools.” He also says, “We’ll get there. We’ll create an awesome product. We’re making it easier every day.”

There has been some word about working on the flawed user tools in the near future. Fixing these tools by making them easier for the consumer to use would be beneficial to users who would like their right to privacy while they browse the Internet.

As of right now, there is a feature on Internet Explorer that can be used to prevent Internet users from being tracked while they are online. Those who choose to use this feature will be able to control what types of sites will be able to track them while they are browsing the Internet. This will give users the opportunity to choose whether they want to allow certain third-party sites to track them or if they would like to block out certain third-party sites from tracking them.