Website user behavior tracking, Do Not track, and opt-out from personalization browser based!

Do Not Track is a step toward putting you in control of the way your information is collected and used online. DNT is a feature in browsers that allows you to let a website know you would like to opt-out of third-party tracking for purposes including behavioral advertising. It does this by transmitting a Do Not Track HTTP header every time your data is requested from the Web.

Yes. Most of the smartphone browsers now have made DNT feature available. Firefox for Android is the first mobile Web browser to offer the Do Not Track privacy feature, and behaves the same way it does on the desktop. To turn Do Not Track in mobile browsers, visit respective settings from privacy to “Tell sites not to track me” to turn this option on or off – this setting is exactly the one as described below.

No, you will still see ads with Do Not Track enabled. However, Do Not Track may change the type of ads you see. For example, behavioral ads are targeted to your interests based on the websites you visit and the search terms you use.

If you request that websites Do Not Track you, and the sites respect your privacy preferences, you will see more generic ads in place of behavioral ads.

Do Not Track is one of many privacy solutions. Do Not Track does not replace your anti-virus software, will not encrypt data, and is not a security mechanism. There are several other privacy and security features within Firefox.

Do Not Track may interfere with some personalized services you enjoy. For example, a Do Not Track request might mean you would have to type in your zip code each time you want to view a weather report, rather than seeing the weather automatically displayed. Personalization on websites can save you time and repetitive typing, but it requires data.

In most of the Internet browsers, DNT feature is not enabled by default. You can find the Do Not Track request on the Privacy pane. On Windows, go to Tools > Options… > Privacy.

Click to check the box next to “Tell websites I do not want to be tracked”. Visit individual Internet Browser’s Privacy and Personalization step by step settings to enable DNT as explained below.

Companies are starting to support Do Not Track, but you may not notice any changes initially. We are actively working with companies that have started to implement Do Not Track, with others who have committed to doing so soon.

Other interesting work about Do Not Track and online privacy:

• Private browsing in Firefox — limits saving data about which sites and pages you have visited online
• Managing cookies in Firefox — lets you control how cookies are saved on your computer
• Alex Fowler’s Mozilla Blog — latest news from Mozilla’s Technology and Privacy Officer
• donottrack.us project — Stanford researchers working on the ideas behind Do Not Track
• The Tracking Preference Expression (DNT) W3C Editor’s Draft
• Tracking Compliance and Scope W3C Editor’s Draft
• The W3C Tracking Protection Working Group
• Ghostery — a tool that lets you learn which sites are tracking you online
• See where your data goes before you click — an image from the Future of Privacy Forum
• Mozilla and Stanford’s Do Not Track submission to the IETF — IETF is a standards body that helps define how the Web works, regardless of which Internet browser you use

Do Not Track is not enabled by default in Windows 10’s all new browser Microsoft Edge Browser (also in the Microsoft Project Spartan). Click the setting pane, at the top right corner of the Edge Browser.

Follow the navigation actions, More actions (three dots • • •) >> Settings >> Advanced settings (view advanced settings) >> turn on “Do Not Track” requests. Along with DNT feature, you can also enable or disable options to set cookies by third parties or cookies by all websites, plus disable “Use Adobe Flash Player” option which has recently been thru security breach.

Google Chrome:

How to turn off privacy setting in Google Chrome?

1. Go to the top-right corner of the browser window, tap or click the Chrome menu icon that looks like .
2. Select Settings >> go to Show advanced settings >> Privacy.
3. Un/check any privacy settings according to your desire. When you turn a privacy setting off, that information will NOT be sent to Google from Google Chrome browser.

Content settings in Google Chrome

Opt your desired content setting for the Cookies

1. Allow local data to be set – recommended
2. Keep local data only until you quite your browser  – safe mode
3. Block web sites from setting any data – safe mode
4. Block third-party cookies and site data – blocks most advertisement & third party behavior tracking cookies

However, you can always supply cookie and site data exceptions by entering hostname and the behavior to allow or to disallow. Hence, you can customize your need to let some websites track and use your personal information. The same applies with images, JavaScript, Handlers, Plug-ins, Pop-ups, Geo-location tracking, Desktop notifications and others.

Do Not Track from Firefox Internet Browser is an offering that lets users express their preference not to be tracked by websites within the browser. When this feature is enabled, advertising networks and other websites plus applications that user want to opt-out of tracking for purposes like behavioral advertising is not carried.

On your Firefox browser, open Options for “Settings for privacy, browsing history and do-not-track”. On the Privacy tab, you can select an option on tracking to tell sites that I do not want to be tracked. Plus, Firefox can also be checked for browsing history, search history and cookies. This way you can delete cookies set by websites in Firefox.