What is Do Not Track?
Do Not Track (DNT) is a browser control that signals a user’s preference. When a user enables DNT on their browser, it communicates with the sites visited using a standard signal. However, this signal is treated as a request. It does not stop tracking unless the server or website has been set up to respond to the signal.
The current legal status of a DNT request is unclear. However, guidance from EU regulators suggests that a DNT request of 1 (indicating a preference not to be tracked) should be taken into consideration by websites when determining to what the user has or will consent.
How OneTrust Handles Do Not Track
OneTrust offers functionality that allows organizations to decide whether to respond to DNT browser requests. This feature works by blocking categories of cookies that have been configured to respect the DNT signal. However, for this solution to be fully functional and block cookies accordingly, you are required to have a blocking mechanism in place.
To enable Do Not Track
- Click the Edit
icon. All editable fields display.
- In the Cookie Categories section, select the checkbox in the Do Not Track column to enable the DNT signal for a specific category. Repeat as necessary.
- Behavior
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With this setting enabled in OneTrust:
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When the user lands on your website, cookies within categories set to Opt-Out will still remain active if the user has not enabled DNT on their browser.
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If DNT is enabled on the user's browser, any cookies belonging to categories with the DNT signal enabled will be set to inactive. Users will still have the option to override this in the preference center by giving consent to these categories.
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- Browser Function
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DNT signals can be checked by leveraging the browser function
navigator.doNotTrack.You can trigger this function in the browser console any time to confirm the status of the DNT signal.
If DNT is enabled on the browser, the function returns 1. If DNT is disabled on the browser, the function returns null.