What is Do Not Track (DNT)?
An HTTP header that requests websites not to track the user, which is almost universally ignored and can actually make you more identifiable.
Do Not Track was a well-intentioned privacy signal that became a failure in practice.
History
- Proposed in 2009 by the FTC
- Implemented in all major browsers
- No enforcement mechanism
- Almost no websites honor it
- W3C working group disbanded in 2019
The Irony
- Only ~25% of users enable DNT
- Having DNT enabled makes your browser MORE unique for fingerprinting
- It tells trackers you care about privacy — making you a more interesting target
- It's now a fingerprinting signal, not a privacy protection
What Replaced It
- Global Privacy Control (GPC): A newer signal with legal backing under CCPA/GDPR
- Browser-level blocking: Brave, Firefox, and Safari block trackers directly
- Regulations: GDPR and CCPA provide legal enforcement that DNT never had
Recommendation
Leave DNT off (it only helps fingerprinters). Use a browser that blocks trackers directly instead.
Related Terms
Browser Fingerprinting
A tracking technique that collects information about your browser, device, and settings to create a unique identifier. Unlike cookies, fingerprints are nearly impossible to delete and can track you across websites without your knowledge or consent.
Cookie
A small piece of data stored in your web browser by websites you visit. While cookies enable useful features like staying logged in, they're also used extensively for tracking your browsing activity across the web for advertising and analytics purposes.
Third-Party Tracking
The practice of monitoring user behavior across multiple websites using embedded scripts, pixels, cookies, and fingerprinting techniques.
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