The New York Times examines the role of default design choices in online privacy, citing research by a Carnegie Mellon University team that "suggests the difficulty that ordinary users have in changing the default settings on Internet browsers or in configuring software tools for greater online privacy." The project results indicate that, even among privacy-conscious Internet users, "The privacy tools typically proved too complicated and confusing to serve the needs of rank-and-file Internet users." One expert suggests the research points to the need to simplify privacy software, adding, "The defaults are crucial." (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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