FCC: Allow websites to ignore do-not-track request

The American telecom watchdog FCC will not act against websites that do not respond to do-not-track requests in browsers. The organization says this in response to a request from the American version of the Consumers’ Association.

The US government agency has published a letter responding to Consumer Watchdog’s request to require websites such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Netflix to honor do-not-track requests. That request was made because such major websites, which, among other things, collect data for personalized ads, often ignore do-not-track requests sent by browsers.

According to the FCC, there is no justification for requiring websites to comply with do-not-track requests. The organization points out privacy laws that internet and telecom providers must adhere to, but these rules do not apply to website creators. One of the arguments for this is that the FCC “does not want to regulate the Internet, or applications and content on the Internet.”

Since the do-not-track feature does not guarantee that users will not be tracked by websites, several browser makers have built in more drastic measures. Mozilla, for example, introduced an improved privacy mode in its Firefox browser earlier this week. This is intended to protect users against the placement of tracking cookies.