What happened
DNT was a header a browser could send to say the user did not want to be tracked. It never achieved a generally binding, interoperable response because standardisation did not settle what honouring meant and most laws did not impose a universal response. Many browsers later removed or deemphasised the setting.
Global Privacy Control uses a similar browser-level idea, but its practical position is different: laws and regulations in jurisdictions such as California expressly require covered businesses to process recognised opt-out preference signals. The obligation comes from the applicable law, not from the header specification alone.
Common questions
Should a site still check for DNT?
DNT is largely absent from current browsers and has no generally binding standard response. Check any statute, privacy notice, contract or voluntary commitment that applies to your organisation before ignoring it. Implement GPC separately because recognised opt-out preference signals have explicit legal effect in jurisdictions such as California.
Sources and verification
Verified on . Product-behaviour statements were checked against the current implementation and tests. The links below are the verification basis recorded for this article. They support the stated facts, not a legal conclusion for every site or configuration; recheck changing vendor behaviour before relying on it in production.
- W3C: Tracking Preference Expression (DNT) final note
Official documentation
Checked
- Global Privacy Control specification
Official documentation
Checked
- California Department of Justice: CCPA
Regulator guidance
Checked
See what your own site is loading
A browser scan reports the requests and storage it observed during the sampled journey. Use configured workspace scans to compare the states and pages that matter to your implementation.