What happened to the Do Not Track feature?
The Do Not Track (DNT) header asked websites not to track you. This setting has been removed from the Firefox 135 browser interface, and Waterfox has followed this change.
Why it was removed
The fact that DNT was voluntary turned out to be its downfall. Sites were free to ignore it, and most did so. Even worse, because relatively few people enabled it, the header itself became a distinguishing characteristic - a piece of information that made a browser easier to fingerprint. The signal was widely ignored and made you more identifiable for sending it. It did more harm than good.
What replaced it
Global Privacy Control (GPC) It does the same job, but with legal weight behind it. While DNT was merely a request, the GPC is legally binding under laws including the CCPA in California, comparable statutes in Colorado and Connecticut, and other jurisdictions. It is also recognised in the EU and UK.
Waterfox sends the GPC signal by default, where Firefox leaves it off until you enable it.
What actually stops tracking
Both DNT and GPC depend on sites cooperating. The protections that do not are:
- Enhanced Tracking Protection - blocks known trackers and isolates cross-site cookies.
- The built-in content blocker - blocks ads and trackers from loading at all, using filter lists applied on your machine.
- Resist Fingerprinting - makes your browser harder to distinguish from others.
These act locally before a request leaves your computer and do not require anyone else’s cooperation.
If you still want to send the header
The underlying preference still exists. Set privacy.donottrackheader.enabled to true in about:config.
Caution
This is not recommended. Almost nothing honours DNT, and enabling it adds a distinguishing signal that makes you slightly easier to identify. Global Privacy Control, which is already on, is the option with actual effect.
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Copyright and Licensing
Adapted for Waterfox from the original Firefox article What happened to the Do Not Track feature?. Original content by Mozilla Contributors. Licensed under the CC BY-SA 3.0.