IE8 Beta 2 Adds Privacy, Deployment Features

New features shown in the second beta of Internet Explorer (IE) 8 will enhance users’ privacy and give administrators more control over how the browser is deployed and configured in their organizations. The improvements address concerns that may have delayed IE’s deployment in enterprises and could increase the browser’s appeal for end users, helping Microsoft blunt the momentum of rival browser Firefox, which boasts 19% market share (according to NetApplications).

The first beta of IE8, released in Mar. 2008, focused primarily on developers, with features such as improved support for widely used Web standards and a built-in Web site debugging tool. It also introduced some new features for end users, such as Activities (recently renamed Accelerators), which let users hover over data, such as an address, and superimpose relevant information from another Web site, such as a mapping site. Released at the end of Aug. 2008, IE8 beta 2 adds an array of new features in several areas—most notably, end-user privacy and IT administration.