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Privacy: NEVER send "Do not track?

kirkp
kirkp
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Help! Please :)

I just updated Firefox and privacy settings have changed. For the worse, seemingly.

Under Options for Privacy and Security there is a setting for "Send web sites a 'Do Not Track' signal". And, I am given only two choices: 1) Always 2) Only when Firefox is set to block known trackers.

I want a third option. "NEVER." These requests are optional; they are widely ignored; and they are -- in fact -- just another data point that is collected. "Never" has always been an option in Firefox. Why is it missing now?

Is there a setting in about:config I can change to ensure that "Do Not Track" is never sent?

Thanks! Kirk

Help! Please :) I just updated Firefox and privacy settings have changed. For the worse, seemingly. Under Options for Privacy and Security there is a setting for "Send web sites a 'Do Not Track' signal". And, I am given only two choices: 1) Always 2) Only when Firefox is set to block known trackers. I want a third option. "NEVER." These requests are optional; they are widely ignored; and they are -- in fact -- just another data point that is collected. "Never" has always been an option in Firefox. Why is it missing now? Is there a setting in about:config I can change to ensure that "Do Not Track" is never sent? Thanks! Kirk

All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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It is quite a while ago when this change happened and the DNT pref was changed from a three state Number pref to a Boolean pref five years in Firefox 36.

  • bug 1042135 - Revert do not track preferences to be a simple on/off switch (privacy.donottrackheader.enabled) [36]

You can control whether the DNT=1 header is send via the Tracking Protection setting for Cookies (blocking Tracking content is enabled), so if you aren't blocking trackers then the DNT header isn't send and if you block trackers then the DNT header is send.
You can check this in the Network Monitor.

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Hi Kirk, in theory an extension could remote the DNT header from all requests, but I don't see any specific extensions for that in a search. (There are general purpose extensions for modifying any headers you like, but I haven't tried any of them myself.)