Stop Websites From Tracking You with Do Not Track (DNT)

Do Not Track (DNT) is a clever technology and policy proposal that lets you put a stop to third-party sites tracking you. These are sites you don’t even visit, yet they try to gather up every last bit of information about you when you’re browsing the web. They want to know your searches, the sites you visit, the type of browser you use, your device, where you live, and more!

It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. When you’re using the internet, you should be able to keep your personal stuff private. But sometimes, as they’re creating web standards and thinking about the user experience, it feels like our privacy is slipping away. That’s where DNT comes in. It puts you in charge of how your data is collected and used online.

The Golden Rule to Internet Security: Change Your Passwords

In today’s world, everything is connected to technology. We use it for our emails, social networking, and even our online banking. That’s why it’s important to remember the golden rule of internet security: change your passwords regularly. It’s a simple step that can go a long way in protecting your personal information.

So, What Exactly is Do Not Track?

I want to tell you about something called DNT, or “Do Not Track.” Back in 2009, a group of smart folks named Christopher Soghoian, Sid Stamm, and Dan Kaminsky came up with the idea. Essentially, DNT is a special setting you can activate in your web browser that tells websites not to track your online activity.

It’s a lot like the Do Not Call registry, which lets people opt out of annoying marketing calls. When you turn on DNT, your browser sends a special message, called a DNT header, to the websites you visit.

The DNT header can have three different values:

• 1 (DNT: 1) means “Please don’t track me” (you reject being tracked)
• 0 (DNT: 0) means “Go ahead and track me” (you accept being tracked)
• null means you haven’t made a choice yet (you’re not choosing either way)

When websites receive this header, they know whether or not to track your activity. It’s a way to let them know what you want.

Do I really need Do Not Track?

Let’s talk about your online activity. When you do things online – like clicking on links, searching for stuff, visiting websites, buying things, or even just being on a certain website – your actions are being tracked by all sorts of companies. These companies could be advertising companies, people who want to sell you stuff, researchers who study what you do online, or even companies that want to know more about their customers.

Have you ever wondered how companies seem to know so much about you, even when you take steps to protect your privacy? I bet you think deleting cookies or using your browser’s privacy mode is enough, right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not. Those pesky ad companies have found a way to track you no matter what you do – using supercookies, or as they’re officially known, LSOs.

LSOs, also known as flash cookies, are like regular cookies on steroids. They’re more powerful and harder to get rid of. Even if you try to delete your cookies, these sneaky LSOs can still keep tabs on you. Scary, huh? Some browser plugins can help you delete them, but it’s still an uphill battle.

What does this all mean? Well, imagine this: you do a quick search for “learn English” or “marketing jobs” because you’re curious or looking to improve yourself. Seems harmless, right? But now imagine if your search was for something more personal, like “HIV medication” or “crack Windows.” Suddenly, the need to be concerned about your privacy becomes a lot more real, doesn’t it?

When it comes to online activities, Do Not Track plays a crucial role in protecting your information and keeping it out of the hands of marketers.

A Survey on Do Not Track

Recently, the Mozilla Foundation conducted a survey to gather insights about the adoption of Do Not Track. Since the implementation of this feature in Firefox, there has been a remarkable increase in industry support and user adoption. According to the report, 8.6% of desktop users and 19% of mobile users have embraced the privacy feature.

Hey there! I’ve got some fascinating information to share with you. So, get ready to have your mind blown!

Around 10,000 users of Firefox, from a whopping 140 countries, took part in a survey. And guess what? The results were incredibly eye-opening. Almost half of these users, a staggering 49%, said that they felt like their privacy was being respected more when they had the Do Not Track (DNT) feature turned on. On the other hand, for those who didn’t bother setting any preferences for DNT, only a measly 12% felt like their privacy was respected. (You can trust me, I got this information from the Mozilla blog!)

So, what exactly does DNT do?

DNT is like your ultimate privacy bodyguard. It lets third parties (not first parties) know that you don’t want to be tracked. You see, when you visit a website, all sorts of snoopy third parties, like ad networks and analytics services, want to know everything about your online activities. But with DNT doing its magic in your browser, these third parties are sent a clear message to stay away and not track you. And if they play nice and respect the DNT system, they won’t track you or put any sneaky cookies in your browser to keep tabs on you.

If you go to Softpedia.com and see ads from the Google network, Softpedia.com is the first party, and the Google Ad Network is the third party. So, if you turn on Do Not Track, your browser will only ask the third party (in this case, Google Ad Network) not to track you. Softpedia.com will not be affected by this.

What Does Do Not Track Not Do?

Do Not Track does not stop ads. You will still see ads on websites, but the ads you see after enabling Do Not Track will be more general and less based on your behavior. It will not prevent you from being tracked by first parties like Google when you use their web services, such as Gmail or Google Search. It also will not stop tracking from social plugins that get content or controls from platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and so on.

If you have an account with a website, you may think of yourself as a ‘first party’ user. Even if you have enabled the Do Not Track (DNT) option, these websites will still track your activities. This includes companies like Facebook Inc., who can track you through buttons like ‘Like’.

The Problems with DNT

DNT is based on an honor system, which means it relies on the third-party’s willingness to follow the standard. If the third-party doesn’t honor the system, they will still track your information even if you have enabled DNT.

DNT is not supported by any official regulatory or legislative authority. It is an effort made by the technology community, which includes the online advertising industry, web developers, and privacy advocates. This means it is entirely voluntary and not legally enforced.

Did you know that companies have agreed to stop using your browsing data for things like customizing ads, employment decisions, credit evaluations, healthcare determinations, and insurance purposes? It’s true! But here’s the catch: they can still use your data for other purposes like market research and product development. And that’s not all – law enforcement officers can still get their hands on your data.

So, what can you do to protect your privacy? You can enable Do Not Track (DNT) in every browser and device you use – whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

How can you make DNT work for you?

Did you know that there’s a way to let websites know that you don’t want them tracking your online activities? It’s called Do Not Track, and some popular web browsers, like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Opera, already support it. Pretty cool, right?

But what if you’re using Chrome? Don’t worry, there’s a solution for you too! You can install a plugin called ‘Keep My Opt-Out’ that will allow you to enable Do Not Track on Chrome. Easy peasy!

Now, let’s say you’re using a different browser that doesn’t have built-in support for Do Not Track. No problem! You can simply switch to one of the supported browsers we mentioned earlier to enjoy this awesome feature. It’s worth considering, don’t you think?

Enabling Do Not Track is a piece of cake in supported browsers. Just follow a few simple steps, and you’ll be good to go. Once you’ve enabled it, you can easily check if Do Not Track is working for you. Simply take a look at the Users section in the right sidebar of the page, and you’ll know for sure.

Make sure you clear your cookies before you turn on Do Not Track (DNT) in your browser. Otherwise, you won’t notice any positive changes when you enable it. Once it’s on, you’ll start seeing more general ads instead of personalized and targeted ones. DNT stops companies from tracking your online activity and makes your privacy more secure than ever.

Final Thoughts

From my perspective, Do Not Track is an essential feature for protecting your privacy. However, for it to truly work, companies need to respect and honor DNT. Right now, our privacy is still in the hands of marketers until DNT is supported by most companies. Although Mozilla is working hard to make DNT fully operational, it’s up to companies to prioritize our privacy.