Do Not Track (DNT)

What is Do Not Track (DNT)?

Do Not Track (DNT) is a web browser setting that signals to websites that the user would prefer not to have their browsing activity tracked.

When enabled, the DNT setting sends a signal to each website the user visits, indicating that they prefer not to be tracked. Importantly, it is only a request - it does not guarantee that a website will honor it.

How does Do Not Track work?

A website can respond to a DNT signal in various ways, such as by disabling tracking cookies or providing a reduced level of tracking. However, because DNT is a voluntary standard with no legal force, it is up to each individual website to decide whether, and how, to respect it.

The concept of Do Not Track was first proposed in 2010 by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and DNT functionality began appearing in web browsers in early 2012. Today, most popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Brave, offer the option to enable DNT in their settings.

Does DNT actually work?

In practice, very few websites honor DNT signals. Studies have repeatedly found that the vast majority of sites continue to track users even when DNT is enabled, largely because there is no legal requirement to comply.

Do Not Track and MIDAS

In our MIDAS scheduling software, we give administrators the option to configure their booking system to respect DNT signals. With this option enabled, users who have also enabled DNT will not have their IP addresses recorded in the system's audit log.