Mozilla Firefox removes "Do Not Track" Feature support: Here's what it means for your Privacy
Mozilla Firefox removes "Do Not Track" Feature support: Here's what it means for your Privacy
Firefox is removing the Do Not Track setting from version 135 onwards. Mozilla recommends using Global Privacy Control setting as alternative,
Good, it's about time the lie of Do Not Track was put to bed. It gives people a false sense of control over their data and privacy - the intention was good but if it's not enforced then it makes people think they've done something to protect their privacy when they have done nothing.
plus it was another data point for profiling people based on their browser settings.
It was also possible to be used as part of a fingerprint.
Its removal is as useful in preventing fingerprinting as its presence was in protecting privacy.
This is sad and yet another step backwards for Firefox. Yes, not many websites honored it, but some did and automatically set cookie preferences accordingly. There should've been more lobbying for this to become legally binding within the EU instead.
It did basically nothing and just made you easier to identify and gave false sense of privacy. Good riddance imo
Presumably it's easier to lobby for something that's already legally enforced elsewhere. And sometimes lobbying is just unsuccessful.
With a reasonable alternative available, removing the additional fingerprinting vector seems like the best idea to avoid tracking. The few good actors can look at the Global Privacy Control instead, so there's literally no downside here.
It was like wearing a technicolor badge with flashers that said "don't look at me" while playing the sound from Inception.
It made you more trackable because the entire ad industry ignored it. While there were a true, TRUE handful of sites that respected it, those are never the sites usually it was meant to deal with.
Yeah, and I've been seeing more lately...
At least the forks will probably keep it...
How about the rare sites that respected it 🤔
If you respect it odds are that you aren't part of the problem to begin with.
If you wish to ask websites to respect your privacy, you can use the “Tell websites not to sell or share my data” setting. This option is built on top of the Global Privacy Control (GPC). GPC is respected by increasing numbers of sites and enforced with legislation in some regions. To learn more about this, please read Global Privacy Control.
So those sites can look at that.
Ohh it's forced by law in some countries, sounds better ngl.
I bet all 6 of them will be really upset.
DNT is going to give a false sense of security.
- like leaving your shop door open when you go out for lunch and posting a sign saying 'Don't come in here and steal'.
It only works for websites who respect it, but leads users to think they're somehow 'protected'.
Privacy focussed engineers add DNT feature to browsers...
Marketeer assholes: hey, another tracking data point!
In fact, sadly, DNT can be used to track user because only few users enable it.
Which is exactly why I'll never use it. Better to use tracking blockers, and things like Adnauseam to not only block tracking and ads but also sabotage them as well.
DNT is like some dumb legalist compromise because once people start blocking trackers or browsers start sending false fingerprinting data it's all over for advertisers and databrokers. That's what needs to actually be done, give control to the users, even if it means advertisers and databrokers will be screwed over.