Do Not Track Plus

We believe that people have a right to privacy in their lives-whether in their homes or online.” That admirable sentiment is a quote from Albine, who distributes Do Not Track Plus; a free browser extension that prevents ads, sites, and social networks from tracking Internet users. Available for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer (with Opera in the works); DNT+ either blocks sites completely (the default setting), or allows you to “opt out” of targeted advertising (they can still track you, but they can’t target you with ads). And–as far as I can tell–blocking does not adversely affect web browsing (although IE claims a few seconds increase inload time)                                                            

http://www.abine.com/dntdetail.php

DNT+ can be found here. Click the orange Download Now button and DNT+ will automatically recognize the browser being used, and direct you to the correct download. It easily installed on Firefox, Chrome, and IE (versions 8 and 9), although the IE installation required several extra steps.

Once installation is complete, a browser restart is required, after which the icon shown below will appear on the toolbar. The number indicates how many sites are being blocked at that location. If multiple tabs are open, clicking through them will quickly reveal the different tracking each site allows.

On several sites I visited, no tracking was discovered. Others were much more intrusive.

Click the icon to open the privacy alert window. Clicking the number blocked (to the right) expands details.

The all-time total reveals the types of tracking blocked. As seen below, some sites track you across the web; including Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.

Click the Settings link at the bottom to see a list of blocked sites. Early in the first day, 197 attempts to track me were blocked (details below). However, several hours later, when I returned to writing, the number had increased to 420, although several of the blocked sites repeatedly appear on the list.

DNT+ can easily be turned off on any site by clicking the On/Off button in the privacy alert window.

To read more on blocking and opting out, click here. For more on the tracking companies that DNT+ blocks, check out their Tracker Index.

In a world where privacy is a rapidly diminishing commodity, Do Not Track Plus is a breath of fresh air.                                                                                                    source>worldstart.com