Well, we have come to a point where no one actually cares about IE. Everyone wishes this browser wouldn't exist and most of the people use it as a tool to download Chrome and Firefox.

Having said that Microsoft's new policy is either aimed at discouraging Flash altogether OR this is just a test. They want to test users are willing accept this kind of feature where MS white-listed websites are given more power than the normal websites. Expect more to happen on this front.