Do Not Track (DNT) is a website browser feature introduced in 2009 to restrict website tracking. Before we delve into it and learn how CookieYes responds to the Do Not Track request, it is essential to understand what exactly is website tracking and why and how is it carried out.

Website Tracking – Why and How

Website tracking is the method of analyzing and recording the online behavior of the users on the web. The trackers collect information such as your device configuration, shopping details, location, social media interaction, and web history. The users are often unaware of the tracking that is being carried out. This makes tracking one of the major privacy concerns.

Users are commonly tracked for reasons, such as analytics, advertising, and personalized content. There are many ways to track users online. Some of the widely used methods are tracking cookies, web beacons, and browser fingerprinting (device fingerprinting).

What is Do Not Track (DNT)?

Do Not Track (DNT) is an opt-out feature of browsers to let the websites know that you do not want to be tracked by them. Mozilla Firefox was the first web browser to make this option available.

Let’s look at how to enable DNT in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera.

Google Chrome

  • Go to Settings.

Google Setings

  • Select Privacy and security from the settings options in the sidebar or scroll down to see the Privacy and security section.

  • Click Cookies and other site data. You will get many settings related to cookies. Activate the toggle switch that says, “Send a Do Not Track request with your browsing traffic.”

  • You will get a dialog box that states what it means to activate this option. Click Confirm.

Google DNT confirm

It will enable the DNT feature.

Mozilla Firefox

  • Click Options from the menu in the top-right corner.
  • Go to Privacy & Security from the Options tab. Scroll down, and you will see two options under “Send websites a Do Not Track signal that you don’t want to be tracked.”Firefox Do Not Track
  • Choose Always. It will enable the DNT feature.

Microsoft Edge

  • Go to Settings from the menu in the top-right corner.
  • Under the settings menu in the left sidebar, choose Privacy, search and services. Scroll down to the Privacy section, where you will see a toggle switch for “Send Do Not Track requests.” Activate it to enable the DNT feature.
  • A dialog box for confirmation will appear. Click on Send request. It will enable the DNT on Edge.

Opera

  • From the menu in the top-left corner, select Settings.opera settings
  • In the settings tab, select Advanced and click Privacy & security under it.opera privacy and security
  • On the right, you will see various options for privacy and security. Activate the toggle switch that says, “Send a Do Not Track request with your browsing traffic.”opera do not track toggle
  • You will get a dialog box that states what it means to activate this option. Click Confirm. opera do not track confirm

It will enable the DNT feature.opera do not track enable

While it is a useful feature, it is not mandatory for websites to follow the request. They may limit the information they want to track. For example, look at the dialog box Chrome shows after enabling DNT.

It clearly states that some websites may not respond to the DNT signal, and even if they do, it will not completely stop tracking. The site will still collect data that will be used for analytics, functioning, ads, security, etc.

CookieYes Do Not Track (DNT) Feature

CookieYes is a simple solution for websites to comply with the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive (ePD) for cookies. Using CookieYes, you can get a fully customizable cookie banner for your website and manage cookie consent, and block cookies to implement prior consent. Both GDPR and ePD make it mandatory for websites to obtain prior consent before placing any cookies (except the necessary type). Our consent solution makes sure that the users will get control over what cookies to be loaded on the page.

CookieYes also comes with a built-in feature that supports the Do Not Track option of browsers. If you install CookieYes banners on your website, it will respect the active DNT of the users’ browsers and avoid placing any tracking cookies even if they have given their consent to use the cookies on the website.

Read the CookieYes setup guide for more information on CookieYes.

Useful Links:

How Cookies Track You and How to Stop It

Why Do You Need a Cookie Banner