Pop Ups Live! Microsoft Blocker Defaults to 'Off'

You can hear the primal, celebratory Howard Dean-like scream of advertisers and networks who make their living off of much hated pop up ads. The beta release of Microsoft's service pack 2 for Internet Explorer sets it's pop up blocking feature to "off" by default. This service pack is the first release of what will become the next version of Internet Explorer which, as reported, will have a pop up blocker baked in. Many where hoping the pop up blocker would be on by default.

"The plan for it is to be off by default, although since it's still in beta, we can't say for certain," said a Microsoft spokesperson. "The outcome will be based on user feedback."

A welcome reprieve for some. A dreaded nightmare for others.