FAQ: What Google's 'Do Not Track' move means

Google will add support for anti-tracking tech to Chrome browser before year's end

February 24, 2012 12:53 PM ET

Computerworld - As the White House pushed a privacy bill of rights this week and readied new online privacy legislation for Congress to consider, Google decided on Thursday to get behind "Do Not Track," technology that lets users opt out of the online stalking by websites and Internet advertisers.

Some proponents of Do Not Track called yesterday V-DNT Day, in a hat tip to the likes of VE-Day in May 1945 as World War II ended in Europe. Others were more cautious, saying that the job was only half finished.

So where does Do Not Track stand now? We're here to answer that question.

What exactly did Google just agree to do? It will add support for Do Not Track to its Chrome browser.

Okay, I'll bite.... What's Do Not Track? It's technology that relies on information in the HTTP header, part of the requests and responses sent and received by a browser as it communicates with a website, to signal that the user does not want to be tracked by online advertisers and sites.

In the browsers that now support the Do Not Track header, a user tells sites he or she does not want to be tracked by setting a single option. In Mozilla's Firefox, for instance, that's done through the Options (on Windows) or Preferences (Mac) pane by checking a box marked, "Tell web sites I do not want to be tracked."

So, Chrome supporting Do Not Track is a good thing? Very much so, said Jonathan Mayer, one of the two Stanford University researchers who came up with the header standard. "This is a great step forward. For some time, Google has been the last holdout among the major browsers," he said in an interview Thursday.

What did Mayer mean by "last holdout?" What other browsers support Do Not Track? Apple's Safari, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Mozilla's Firefox.

Firefox was the first browser to adopt Do Not Track, with Firefox 4 in March 2011, while IE9 followed suit almost immediately. Safari has supported Do Not Track since version 5.1, which debuted in OS X Lion last July.

(But Safari 5.1 hides the setting: To switch it on, select "Send Do Not Track HTTP Header" from the "Develop" menu. If you don't see the Develop menu, activate it from the Advanced section of Preferences by checking the box "Show Develop menu in menu bar." Apple will expose the setting in the Privacy section of the Preferences pane when it releases OS X Mountain Lion this summer.)

Opera Software has added Do Not Track to the alpha build of v. 12, which will work its way toward a production edition in the coming months.

I thought Chrome already used Do Not Track.... What gives? You were wrong. Rather than support Do Not Track, Chrome relied on a plug-in, dubbed "Keep My Opt-Outs," that blocks targeted ads produced by more than 80 ad networks and companies -- including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo -- that hew to self-regulation efforts.

When will Chrome add Do Not Track, and how will users turn it on? Google hasn't said exactly. A company spokeswoman said that Chrome will support the technology "by the end of the year," but declined to get more specific. She also declined to spell out the user experience, saying "We will have more to say as development proceeds."

Presumably, Chrome will add a check box to the user settings panel -- as have Firefox and Safari -- probably in the "Under the Hood" section where other privacy options are now available.

more

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9224583/FAQ_What_Google_s_Do...

Views: 297

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Do Not Track Plus is already available for Chrome as an add-on - I installed it on someone else's computer alongside ScriptNo (called NoScript in Firefox) and both brilliantly block unwanted connections, trackers and scripts...DNT Plus has blocked companies and pages from tracking me over 1000 times in less than a week.  Switching to websites is now much quicker and that's great for me being a mega-surfer!  It's also advisable to use a proxy server if you can handle the learning curve to install and prepare your P.C to go through the proxy.

Having said this, nothing probably stops the Govt spies from watching every your every move on the Web, but these add-ons sure stop most amateur/semi-professional hackers/spies and scammers from getting the better of your system.

One other thing- if you're using Windows then you really are wasting more time than anything. Linux editions like Ubuntu have more secure features, such as the fact that an .exe file cannot run on Linux.  If someone sends you a virus in an email and you're using Linux, then you have to select 'Properties' of the file itself, go down to 'allow executing as a program'- you'll then have to enter your password and O.K it and then run the file.  If you do that you'd have to be stupid.  Ubuntu boots in 20 seconds, is on the Web in less than a minute with a slow 1.6Ghz dual-core laptop...that's far better than Windows could do on a similar system.

You are never certain of what Google discloses or not, they change their policies so frequently that everybody does not have a clear understanding of their core values and beliefs. 

And they will honor this out of the kindness of their hearts, LMAO. This is basically a way of legitimizing their regular hacking of your computer by claiming you can opt out. Not opting out does not give them the right to hack your personal info.

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"Their plans did not work out because we are the news now, and the old news is the enemy. "
51 minutes ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre

The year is 1942 just a few months after the Pearl Harbor disaster. Despite losses suffered by the…See More
15 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"With all due respect this guy comes off as a drunken asshole and he didn't even  know who…"
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Was a Planned Civil War Averted?

We are living in sadly historic times where good and evil are in battle all the time. Not that this…See More
Sunday
Sandy posted a photo
Sunday
Less Prone posted a video

President Trump addresses U.N. General Assembly - FULL SPEECH

President Donald Trump speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.Full video here: https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/preside...
Sunday
Burbia posted a video

2 MIN AGO: Western Provinces MAJOR New WEXIT Announcement - Canada EXPLODES!

In a stunning turn of events, Western provinces just made a major new WEXIT announcement — and it’s shaking the foundations of Canadian unity. Is Western sep...
Saturday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

How You Provoke a Civil War

In the world of counter intelligence which is simply one aspect of many pertaining to asymmetrical…See More
Friday
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"I don't follow as much with Josh Reeves than I use to. He seems to be a documentary producing…"
Friday
Burbia posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

DONATE-paypal-dayglow76@yahoo.comCashapp-reevesradioVenmo-Josh-Reeves-61FILMS AND AUDIOBOOKS DOWNLOAD STORE-https://store.payloadz.com/results/242828-josh-re...
Friday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Thursday
tjdavis posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK VIDEO THAT KEEPS GETTING REMOVED OFF OF SEVERAL PLATFORMS

I had not planned to share this publicly, but I believe Advar, who spoke with Charlie Kirk while I was very ill, would have wanted me to. After my interview ...
Sep 25
pohonemas33 team commented on Chris of the family Masters's photo
Thumbnail

Gold-Coast-Message

"untuk bermain slot, kamu cukup kunjungi situs kacang99 pasti langsung gacor"
Sep 24
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Sep 24
Burbia posted a blog post

Former President Trump?

When was this article written? It is attributed to Victor Davis Hanson. He is a Fellow at Hoover…See More
Sep 22
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Don’t Go Hunting For Bigfoot

It is October 19, 2019 at 5:46 AM. This will be the last time any visual evidence of Mark is seen…See More
Sep 22
tjdavis posted a video

Most Corrupt Series: Elizabeth Warren | Forgotten History

Elizabeth Warren has built her reputation as a "reformer", but her political career has also drawn sharp criticism. Questions have been raised about her fina...
Sep 19
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Ashrams and Moonies Perfect Case for Mind Control
"less prone, Thanks for your support Buddy! "
Sep 18
Doc Vega posted a photo

main-thumb-ti-6724328-100-cnsgqkrgkrhyeyyerazynmuwoplecnbx

When will they put Trump on Mt. Rushmore?
Sep 18
Doc Vega's 4 blog posts were featured
Sep 18

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted