What Is Do Not Track (DNT)?

Do Not Track (DNT) is an HTTP header that a web browser uses to tell websites the user does not want to be tracked. The idea gained momentum in December 2010, when the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a "Do Not Track" mechanism (a setting kept in the browser) in a privacy report. Firefox 4, released in March 2011, was the first major browser to ship it, and others followed.

When DNT is enabled, the browser adds a DNT: 1 header to its HTTP requests. Websites are expected to read that header and refrain from tracking the user.

How DNT Works

The mechanism itself is very simple.

  1. The user enables DNT in their browser settings
  2. The browser adds a DNT: 1 header to all HTTP requests
  3. The website receives this header
  4. The website honors the header and refrains from tracking (voluntary)

The Request Information section on IP Check-san shows whether your browser is sending the DNT header. It is also scored as the Do Not Track item in the Security Score.

How to Enable DNT in Each Browser

Chrome

  1. Open Settings (three-dot menu at top right → Settings)
  2. Click "Privacy and security"
  3. Click "Third-party cookies"
  4. Enable "Send a 'Do Not Track' request with your browsing traffic"

Firefox

In Firefox 135 (released February 2025), the checkbox for sending DNT was removed from the settings screen. Later versions offer a setting that asks websites not to sell or share your data instead. That setting is sent as a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, described below, rather than as a DNT header.

Safari

Safari 12.1 (released March 2019) removed the ability to send DNT. In its release notes, Apple explained that it had dropped support for the expired DNT standard to prevent the header from being used as a fingerprinting variable. Countering tracking is handled by Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) instead.

Edge

  1. Open Settings (three-dot menu at top right → Settings)
  2. Click "Privacy, search, and services"
  3. Enable "Send 'Do Not Track' requests"

Limitations and Reality of DNT

Unfortunately, DNT comes with serious limitations.

No Legal Enforcement

DNT is nothing more than a request, and websites are under no legal obligation to honor it. How the site or company receiving the header treats it is left entirely to its own discretion, so the fact that the header was sent gives you no way to confirm that tracking has stopped.

Standardization Was Discontinued

The Tracking Protection Working Group at the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) worked on the DNT specification, but it closed that work in January 2019, and the document was published as a Working Group Note (a reference document recording the final outcome of the work) rather than as a Recommendation. The W3C gave its reasons for closing: there had not been sufficient deployment of the specification as written, nor any sign of planned support among browsers, third parties, and the ecosystem at large. With updates to the standard halted, whether to respond to DNT remains a decision left to each individual site.

Can Become a Fingerprinting Vector

Whether a browser sends the DNT header is itself a difference that sites can read. If relatively few browsers send it, that difference works as one more attribute for narrowing down a browser fingerprint. In other words, a setting meant to refuse tracking can end up as material for identifying you. This is precisely why Apple removed DNT from Safari.

Alternatives to DNT

Rather than relying on DNT alone, it is far more effective to combine the measures below.

Global Privacy Control (GPC)

The successor now taking shape is GPC (Global Privacy Control). The group promoting GPC states that responding to the signal is required under state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and that under the EU's GDPR the signal is intended to work as a general expression of intent asking that the sale and sharing of personal data be restricted (GDPR Articles 7 and 21). The biggest difference from DNT is that in some jurisdictions the law backs what the signal means. As of August 2026, the Firefox, Brave, and DuckDuckGo browsers support sending GPC.

Tracker Blockers

Extensions such as uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger do not politely ask the way DNT does; they block trackers technically. Because they cut off the communication itself, the outcome does not hinge on whether a site chooses to honor a request.

Browser Tracking Protection

  • Firefox: Enhanced Tracking Protection
  • Safari: Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP)
  • Brave: Shields (ad and tracker blocking)

Additional Measures

Should You Still Enable DNT?

If your browser still offers the setting, there is no harm in leaving it on. Keep in mind, though, that DNT is a mechanism with no guaranteed response, so it is risky to assume that it alone stops tracking. What actually changes the outcome are mechanisms that cut off the communication itself, such as tracker blockers and built-in browser tracking protection. And as noted above, in regions where state privacy laws call for a response, the job of expressing your preference has shifted from DNT to GPC.

Check your DNT status on IP Check-san's Security Score, and combine it with other privacy measures for comprehensive protection.

Related Glossary Terms

Do Not Track (DNT) An HTTP header setting that tells websites "please do not track me" from the bro…

Frequently Asked Questions

Does enabling Do Not Track stop tracking?

Do Not Track is only a request from your browser asking sites not to track you, and whoever receives it is under no obligation to respond. Work on standardizing it at the W3C also ended in January 2019, so whether to honor it is left to each individual site.

What should I use instead of Do Not Track?

Technical measures that actually block tracking are more effective: ad blockers (such as uBlock Origin), anti-tracking extensions, privacy-focused browsers (Firefox, Brave), and automatic cookie deletion.