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Do Not Track

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do Not Track (DNT) is a deprecated non-standard[1] HTTP header field designed to allow internet users to opt out of tracking by websites—which includes the collection of data regarding a user's activity across multiple distinct contexts, and the retention, use, or sharing of data derived from that activity outside the context in which it occurred.[2]

The Do Not Track header was originally proposed in 2009[3] and was adopted by most major browsers within a few years. However, the header failed to find widespread respect among the publishers,[4] due to the lack of legislation requiring companies to legally respect the DNT header, confusion about the header meaning.[5] The DNT header was abandoned by standards bodies such as the W3C.[4] As of 2024, some browsers had removed the header, including Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox.[6]

In 2020, a coalition of US-based internet companies announced the Global Privacy Control header that succeeds DNT header. The creators hope that this new header will meet the definition of "user-enabled global privacy controls" defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In this case, the new header would be automatically strengthened by existing laws and companies would be required to honor it.

Operation

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The DNT header accepts three values: 1 in case the user does not want to be tracked (opt-out), 0 in case the user consents to be tracked (opt-in), or null (no header sent) if the user has not expressed a preference. The default behavior required by the document draft is not to send the header unless the user enables the setting via their browser or their choice is implied by the use of that specific browser.[7]

History

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Browser support

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Browser Added Removed Comment
Version Release date Version Release date
Firefox 4.0 March 22, 2011 135[6] Early 2025 Header disabled by default
Google Chrome 23 June 11, 2012 N/A N/A Header disabled by default
Safari 6 July 25, 2012 12.1[8] March 25, 2019 Header disabled by default
Microsoft Edge 12 July 29, 2015 N/A N/A
Internet Explorer 9[9] Different browser versions enabled header

Development

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In 2007, several consumer advocacy groups asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create a Do Not Track list for online advertising. The proposal would have required that online advertisers submit their information to the FTC, which would compile a machine-readable list of the domain names used by those companies to place cookies or otherwise track consumers.[10]

In July 2009, researchers Christopher Soghoian and Sid Stamm implemented support for the Do Not Track header in the Firefox web browser via a prototype add-on.[3] Stamm was, at the time, a privacy engineer at Mozilla, while Soghoian soon afterward started working at the FTC.[11] One year later, during a U.S. Senate privacy hearing, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told the Senate Commerce Committee that the commission was exploring the idea of proposing a "do-not-track" list.[2]

In December 2010, the FTC issued a privacy report that called for a "do-not-track" system that would enable people to avoid having their actions being monitored online.[12]

One week later, Microsoft announced that its next browser would include support for Tracking Protection Lists that block tracking of consumers using blacklists supplied by third parties.[13] In January 2011, Mozilla announced that its Firefox browser would soon provide a Do Not Track solution, via a browser header.[14] Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9,[15] Apple's Safari,[16] Opera[17] and Google Chrome[18] all later added support for the header approach.

In August 2015, a coalition of privacy groups led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation using W3C's Tracking Preference Expression (DNT) standard proposed that "Do not track" be the goal for advocates to demand of businesses.[19]

In January 2019, the W3C Tracking Protection Working Group was disbanded, citing "insufficient deployment of these extensions" and lack of "indications of planned support among user agents, third parties, and the ecosystem at large".[20][21] Beginning the following month, Apple removed DNT support from Safari starting from version 12.1, citing that it could be used as a "fingerprinting variable" for tracking.[22]

In December 2024, developer builds of Firefox lost support for DNT header. Mozilla updated documentation about DNT to clarify that the browser no longer supports the header and recommended to use Global Privacy Control header instead. This change is expected to reach users in Firefox 135 which is expected to be released in January 2025.[23]

Internet Explorer 10 default setting controversy

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When using the "Express" settings upon installation, a Do Not Track option is enabled by default for Internet Explorer 10 and Windows 8.[24] Microsoft faced criticism for its decision to enable Do Not Track by default[25] from advertising companies, who say that use of the Do Not Track header should be a choice made by the user and must not be automatically enabled. The companies also said that this decision would violate the Digital Advertising Alliance's agreement with the U.S. government to honor a Do Not Track system, because the coalition said it would only honor such a system if it were not enabled by default by web browsers.[26] A Microsoft spokesperson defended its decision however, stating that users would prefer a web browser that automatically respected their privacy.[27]

On September 7, 2012, Roy Fielding, an author of the Do Not Track proposal, committed a patch to the source code of the Apache HTTP Server, which would make the server explicitly ignore any use of the Do Not Track header by users of Internet Explorer 10. Fielding wrote that Microsoft's decision "deliberately violates" the Do Not Track specification because it "does not protect anyone's privacy unless the recipients believe it was set by a real human being, with a real preference for privacy over personalization". The Do Not Track specification did not explicitly mandate that the use of Do Not Track actually be a choice until after the feature was implemented in Internet Explorer 10.[28] According to Fielding, Microsoft knew its Do Not Track signals would be ignored, and that its goal was to effectively give an illusion of privacy while still catering to their own interests.[29] On October 9, 2012, Fielding's patch was commented out, restoring the previous behavior.[30][31]

On April 3, 2015, Microsoft announced that starting with Windows 10, it would comply with the specification and no longer automatically enable Do Not Track as part of the operating system's "Express" default settings, but that the company will "provide customers with clear information on how to turn this feature on in the browser settings should they wish to do so".[32]

Adoption

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Very few advertising companies actually supported DNT, due to a lack of regulatory or voluntary requirements for its use,[33] and unclear standards over how websites should respond to the header. Websites that honor DNT requests include Medium and Pinterest.[34] Despite offering the option in its Chrome web browser, Google did not implement support for DNT on its websites, and directed users to its online privacy settings and opt-outs for interest-based advertising instead.[35] The Digital Advertising Alliance, Council of Better Business Bureaus and the Data & Marketing Association does not require its members to honor DNT signals.[36]

Use of ad blocking software to block web trackers and advertising has become increasingly common (with users citing both privacy concerns and performance impact as justification), while Apple and Mozilla began to add privacy enhancements (such as "tracking protection") to their browsers, that are designed to reduce undue cross-site tracking. In addition, laws such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have imposed restrictions on how companies are to store and process personal information.[35][3]

Princeton University associate professor of computer science Jonathan Mayer, who was a member of the W3C's working group for DNT, argued that the concept is a "failed experiment".[35]

Global Privacy Control

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Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a proposed HTTP header field and DOM property that can be used to inform websites of the user's wish to have their information not be sold or used by ad trackers.[37] GPC was developed in 2020 by privacy technology researchers such as Wesleyan University professor Sebastian Zimmeck and former Chief Technologist of the Federal Trade Commission Ashkan Soltani, as well as a group of privacy-focused companies including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Automattic (owner of Tumblr and WordPress), and more.[38]

GPC has been implemented by Mozilla Firefox,[39] Brave,[40] and DuckDuckGo Private Browser.[41][40] GPC is not yet supported by Google Chrome[42] or Microsoft Edge,[40] despite Chrome still allowing users to enable the now-deprecated Do Not Track header.[43] However, there are third-party extensions available for Chrome that enable sending the GPC header during HTTP requests, including the EFF's Privacy Badger extension[44] and the DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials add-on[45] amongst others.

The New York Times and Washington Post have both implemented the signal.[41] The GPC is supported by Firefox creator Mozilla[46] as well as the California Attorney General.[47]

One key difference between the Do Not Track header and GPC is that GPC is a valid do-not-sell-my-personal-information signal according to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which stipulates that websites are legally required to respect a signal sent by users who want to opt-out of having their personal data sold.[47] In July 2021, the California Attorney General clarified through an FAQ that under law, the Global Privacy Control signal must be honored.[47]

On August 24, 2022, the California Attorney General announced Sephora paid a $1.2 million settlement for allegedly failing to process opt-out requests via a user-enabled global privacy control signal.[48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "HTTP". MDN Web Docs. November 18, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Corbin, Kenneth (July 28, 2010). "FTC Mulls Browser-Based Block for Online Ads". Internet News. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Fleishman, Glenn (March 7, 2019). "How the tragic death of Do Not Track ruined the web for everyone". Fast Company.
  4. ^ a b "Do Not Track". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Goodrich, Ben (May 1, 2012). "An Analysis of the 'Do Not Track' Header" (PDF).
  6. ^ a b Purdy, Kevin (December 12, 2024). "Back where it started: "Do Not Track" removed from Firefox after 13 years". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "DNT - HTTP". Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "Apple is withdrawing Safari's Do Not Track feature". Engadget. February 7, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Mathew (March 17, 2011). "Microsoft Adds 'Do Not Track' To IE9". Information Week. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "The History of the Do Not Track Header" (PDF). Center for Democracy and Technology. October 31, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  11. ^ Zetter, Kim (August 17, 2009). "Outspoken Privacy Advocate Joins FTC". Wired News. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  12. ^ Angwin, Julia (December 2, 2010). "FTC Backs Do-Not-Track System for Web". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  13. ^ Angwin, Julia (December 7, 2010). "Microsoft to Add 'Tracking Protection' to Web Browser". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  14. ^ Julia Angwin (January 21, 2011). "Web Tool On Firefox To Deter Tracking". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  15. ^ Angwin, Julia (March 15, 2011). "Microsoft Adds Do-Not-Track Tool to Browser". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  16. ^ Nick Wingfield (April 14, 2011). "Apple Adds Do-Not-Track Tool to New Browser". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  17. ^ Opera Desktop Team (February 11, 2012). "Core update with Do Not Track, and mail and theme fixes". Opera blog. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  18. ^ "Longer battery life and easier website permissions". Chrome blog. November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  19. ^ Abel, Jennifer (August 6, 2015). "Privacy groups offer "Do Not Track" compromise; will online advertisers and publishers accept it?". ConsumerAffairs. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  20. ^ "WG closed · w3c/dnt@5d85d6c". GitHub. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  21. ^ Hill, Kashmir (February 6, 2019). "Apple Is Removing 'Do Not Track' From Safari". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  22. ^ "Apple is removing the Do Not Track toggle from Safari, but for a good reason". Macworld. February 7, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  23. ^ Vigliarolo, Brandon (December 12, 2024). "Mozilla removing Do Not Track option from Firefox 135". The Register. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  24. ^ "Internet Explorer 10 Released for Windows 7". PC Magazine. November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  25. ^ Brendon Lynch (August 7, 2012). "Do Not Track in the Windows 8 Setup Experience". Microsoft on the issues blog. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012.
  26. ^ "Microsoft ticks off advertisers with IE10 'Do Not Track' policy". CNET. June 1, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  27. ^ "Microsoft's "Do Not Track" Move Angers Advertising Industry". Digits. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  28. ^ "Microsoft sticks to its guns, keeps Do Not Track on by default in IE10". Ars Technica. August 8, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  29. ^ Shankland, Stephen (September 7, 2012). "Apache Web software overrides IE10 do-not-track setting". CNET. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "Apache Won't Override Do-Not-Track Headers". MediaPost Communications. October 9, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  31. ^ "Keep this in, but commented out: also provide a little · apache/httpd@3dd6fb6". GitHub. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  32. ^ "Microsoft rolls back commitment to Do Not Track". Computerworld. IDG. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  33. ^ "Here's The Gaping Flaw in Microsoft's 'Do Not Track' System For IE10". Business Insider. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  34. ^ Bacchus, Arif (October 15, 2018). "Millions of People Use 'Do Not Track' Tool Which Does Nothing". Digital Trends. Designtechnica Corporation. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  35. ^ a b c "'Do Not Track' Privacy Tool Doesn't Do Anything". Gizmodo. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  36. ^ "Digital Advertising Alliance Gives Guidance to Marketers for Microsoft IE10 'DO NOT TRACK' Default Setting". Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  37. ^ "Global Privacy Control (GPC)". privacycg.github.io. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  38. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions | Global Privacy Control". globalprivacycontrol.org. Retrieved August 17, 2024. Who is supporting the development of GPC?
  39. ^ "Global Privacy Control". Mozilla Support. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  40. ^ a b c Vigliarolo, Brandon (December 12, 2024). "Mozilla removing Do Not Track option from Firefox 135". The Register. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "What is Global Privacy Control, the Do Not Track replacement? – Circuit Bulletin". Circuit Bulletin. December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  42. ^ "Chrome Privacy Now!". Chrome Privacy Now!. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  43. ^ "Turn "Do Not Track" on or off". Google Chrome Help. Google Inc.
  44. ^ "Privacy Badger". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved August 17, 2024. What is Global Privacy Control (GPC)?
  45. ^ "Global Privacy Control (GPC) Enabled by Default in DuckDuckGo Apps & Extensions". Spread Privacy. January 28, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  46. ^ "Founding Organizations | Global Privacy Control". globalprivacycontrol.org. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  47. ^ a b c "California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)". State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General. October 15, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  48. ^ Merken, Sara (August 24, 2022). "Sephora to pay $1.2 mln in privacy settlement with Calif. AG over data sales". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
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