Why Browser ‘Do Not Track’ Features Won’t Work

“Mozilla, Microsoft, and Google have each developed some sort of
“do not track” feature for their respective Web browsers. The
intent is good, but each solution is fundamentally flawed and is
unlikely to work very well in the real world.

“Following the call for action from the United States Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) to create some sort of a Web browsing “do
not track” list similar to the “do not call” list consumers can use
to avoid being harassed by telemarketers, the major browser vendors
took some initiative and got to work.

“Attempts to block or limit Web tracking are noble, but the
current solutions all fall short of the goal.Microsoft announced
availability of the Internet Explorer 9 release candidate–the
final evaluation version before the official release of the
browser. The IE9 RC includes Microsoft’s solution to the Web
tracking issue. The problem with Microsoft’s approach, though, is
that it relies too heavily on user intervention–requiring the user
essentially to manage which sites should or shouldn’t be allowed to
track browsing behavior.”

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