Firefox to develop "Do Not Track" privacy tool

NEW YORK (AP) -- Firefox, the world's second most popular browser, is developing more tools to help protect Web surfers' privacy.

The browser will give users the opportunity to block advertisers from collecting information about them. Firefox's parent company, Mozilla Inc., made the announcement in a blog post.

Alex Fowler, Mozilla's technology and privacy officer, says the "Do Not Track" tool will be the first in a series of steps designed to guard privacy. He writes, "When the feature is enabled and users turn it on, websites will be told by Firefox that a user would like to opt-out of online behavior advertising."

The next version of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser will include a similar feature, though people will have to create or find their own lists of sites they want to block.