Mozilla is removing the Do Not Track feature from Firefox. The browser manufacturer states that the setting cannot guarantee user privacy and sometimes even has negative effects.

The Don’t trackFunctionality (DNT) disappears from the Firefox browser. Windows Report knows this. Mozilla added DNT to Firefox after researchers Christopher Soghoian and Sid Stamm developed it in 2009. DNT is a browser setting that allows users to request websites not to track them. The setting is sent via an HTTP header.

But: Fewer and fewer websites take DNT into account. Mozilla even states that the signal sometimes has a negative impact on user privacy. For this reason, the company decides to remove DNT from Firefox. Other browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome still have DNT capacity.

From DNT to GPC

DNT was replaced by in 2020 Global data protection control (GPC). This setting is hidden behind the option in Firefox Instruct websites not to sell or share my information. GPC is more respected than DNT. Laws such as the European GDPR help ensure that GPC does not remain a dead letter.

In this context, Mozilla notes that DNT generally remains a dead letter and is therefore unnecessary. This does not affect Firefox’s privacy: According to Mozilla, DNT gives a rather false sense of privacy. If you don’t want to be tracked by websites, you’d better check the GPC setting.

Mozilla has viewed DNT as a problem for some time. In 2018, Firefox integrated its own privacy protection system precisely because DNT was inadequate.