In a recent meeting of Firefox developers, it was announced that the upcoming release of Firefox 135 on February 4 will no longer include the option to enable the “DO NOT TRACK” (DNT) HTTP header from the privacy settings page (ABOUT: Preferences#Privacy). This decision was made due to the widespread ignorance of the DNT header by many websites, as its support is not mandatory. Additionally, transmitting the DNT header can sometimes compromise user privacy by inadvertently revealing identifying information.
Instead of the DNT option, users are encouraged to activate the Global Privacy Control (GPC) mechanism, which has replaced the DNT header. GPC allows users to indicate their refusal to have personal data sold or used to track their online activities. Unlike DNT, compliance with GPC is mandatory under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for users in California.
In a recent court case, Sephora was found guilty of violating the CCPA by selling user data and was ordered to pay $1.2 million in compensation. This highlights the importance of ensuring compliance with privacy laws and regulations.
In other news, Mozilla announced changes in its leadership team:
- The position of Senior Vice President of Firefox has been filled by Anthony Enzor-Demeo, who previously served as Product Director at Roofstock. Anthony Enzor-Demeo will oversee Firefox development and related business initiatives.
- Ajit Varma has been appointed as the Vice President of Firefox Product.