Support for a "do not track" browser option is picking up steam. Mozilla on Monday announced that it has added the feature to a pre-beta build of its Firefox browser.
"A Firefox user will be able to check a box in the preferences dialog and then a HTTP header would be sent with all HTTP requests so all servers know the user wants to opt out," Mozilla's Sid Stamm wrote in a blog post.
The option is currently available in the Firefox nightly builds, so at this point, it's recommended for developers and other browser enthusiasts rather than the average user. "These nightlies are not as stable as the beta releases," Stamm wrote.
To enable "do not track," open the preferences pane and select advanced tab. Check the "Tell sites I do not want to be tracked" box (click below for larger image) and surf away.
Mozilla discussed plans for a "do not track" feature last week. Alex Fowler, Mozilla's global privacy and public policy leader, said in a blog post that "do not track" would be incorporated into Firefox 4, which is currently in beta and expected to be released next month.
Mozilla published a Do Not Track FAQ on its wiki, and said it prefers an approach whereby each page request from the browser would include a special Do Not Track header.
Mozilla is not the only browser maker considering this option. The concept made headlines in December when the Federal Trade Commission unveiled a broad plan for online privacy, which included the "do not track" provision. Days later, Microsoft announced that its next-generation Web browser will include a privacy feature called Tracking Protection, which will give users control over which sites can send and receive data from their browser. Last week, Google also announced a Chrome extension called Keep My Opt-Outs, which empowers users to permanently opt out of ad-tracking cookies.
Microsoft said last week that the W3C, the premier Web standards body, has contacted the company about standardizing its Tracking Protection format, and Microsoft has agreed to take the next steps.
"The development of Tracking Protection Lists, for both US and European consumers, is underway. Several consumer privacy organizations have preliminary lists in testing," Dean Hachamovitch, corporate vice president for Internet Explorer, wrote in a blog post. "Some advertising industry groups, recognizing how Tracking Protection enables more effective self-regulation, are also in the process of developing Tracking Protection Lists. They have been clear and articulate about their point of view that ads and tracking are different, separate things."