Mozilla is developing a feature to let users opt out of online behavioral advertising. Dubbed Do Not Track, it’s the Firefox maker’s latest effort to put users in control of their web experience.
“The web is evolving quickly in how information about people is collected, used and shared online,” Alex Fowler, Mozilla’s head of privacy, wrote in a blog post. “We believe it’s crucial to put people in control of their personal web interactions and experiences … In particular, we’re seeking ways to provide Firefox users a deeper understanding of and control over the flow of personal information online.”
Giving Consumers Control
Do Not Track is a common term to describe a way for people to opt out of online behavioral advertising (OBA). Mozilla is proposing a feature that allows Firefox browser users to set a preference that will broadcast their desire to opt out of third-party, advertising-based tracking by transmitting a Do Not Track HTTP header with every click or page view in Firefox.
“When the feature is enabled and users turn it on, web sites will be told by Firefox that a user would like to opt out of OBA,” Fowler said. “We believe the header-based approach has the potential to be better for the web in the long run because it is a clearer and more universal opt-out mechanism than cookies or blacklists.”
Fowler said the Do Not Track header builds on the work the advertising networks have done to date without the cookie-based systems they make available to people online. The header, he argued, is less complex and simple to locate and use, it is more persistent than cookie-based solutions, and it doesn’t rely on users finding and loading lists of ad networks and advertisers.
Nothing Entirely New
Will Firefox set itself apart in the browser wars with this innovation? Probably…