CNET Editors' review
DoNotTrackMe simplifies tracking blocking
If ad blocking is the hacksaw of Internet-protecting add-ons, DoNotTrackMe is a finely honed katana, slicing out tracking behaviors embedded in sites without destroying the modern Web.
The latest version makes some helpful changes both on the surface and how it protects you. Formerly known as Do Not Track Plus, the add-on's redesign makes it significantly easier to use. DNTMe's new crosshairs icon sits next to your location bar, and is easier to find than the previous one. It still shows you the number of trackers that it's blocked on the site that you're visiting, but the layout redeco looks much less like a Windows XP reject.
Click on the crosshairs and a drop-down window opens that shows you a sun icon if there's no trackers on the site, or in-depth tracking info if there's more going on than meets the eye. If trackers are detected, you see first a list of the companies tracking you, and then a breakdown of which companies to which they report. These include separate call-outs for social networks, as well as other private companies. The slider at the top is also what you click to allow all tracking from a specific site.
Below the tracker data is a real-time chart showing you how many trackers you've been protected from, although the chart's data is a bit thin. At the very bottom you have links to a combination of Abine privacy products, such as its DeleteMe service, and free blog posts that help explain more information about tracking and privacy concerns.
DNTMe's benefit isn't just that it blocks trackers, but that it keeps the social Web active while protecting you. Publisher Abine does this by actually rebuilding the social-networking buttons on most sites, which prevents sites from gleaning tracking data from you when you're not logged in. By rebuilding social-networking buttons on the fly without sacrificing privacy or site load times, it keeps the kind of functionality people want from the Web.
It's a unique response to the problem of tracking, and reflects how seriously Abine takes its task. DNTMe also blocks ad networks and companies from following you around the Web.
Several under-the-hood changes to DNTMe have improved how it protects you. It's dropped advertiser opt-out cookies, a small change that eliminates confusion about different types of cookies and increases your protection. It will warn you, too, when it knows about social-networking news and when social-networking sites make privacy policy changes.
The settings icon, a small gear at the top, lets you toggle tracking cookie blocking on a per-site basis. And throughout the interface, links take you to Abine's sites that explain what the add-on is doing and why it's doing it. We're talking smart, helpful stuff.
If you're aware of the serious privacy risks on the Internet today, but are looking for something more nuanced than an ad blocker or JavaScript killer that still lets you experience the modern Web, the Do Not Track HTML header is too anemic to be useful despite its good intentions. Protect yourself by putting some serious weight behind that impulse with DoNotTrackMe.
DoNotTrackMe simplifies tracking blocking:Publisher's Description
From Abine:
Every time you use the web, companies are watching, collecting, and storing info about you and your web activity. DoNotTrackMe (DNTMe) is free privacy software that prevents online tracking and improves your security on the Internet.
When youre using DNTMe:
- View the number of trackers youre blocking by referring to the icon in your browser toolbar. Click the icon to see more details about the companies trying to track you.
- Online trackers, like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Analytics, can't see or collect your web activity.
- Forget about deleting cookies that store your info; DNTMe prevents them from being placed on your machine in the first place.
- Block ads with tracking capability, including annoying ads that seem to follow you everywhere you go.
Your privacy:
DNTMe is a tool that that prevents online tracking, so naturally, we don't collect any data about our users.
Note- Do Not Track Me was previously called DoNotTrackPlus or Do Not Track Plus.
What's new in this version:
- New name: DoNotTrackMe (formerly DoNotTrackPlus)
- Added over 50 new trackers to DNTMe's block list
- Removal of advertiser opt out cookies
- Refreshed UI with a chart that shows you how many trackers you've blocked while using DNTMe
- Privacy alert feature that appears on the DNTMe icon when we have news or tips about the site you're visiting. For example, if Facebook changes their privacy policy, you'll get an alert the next time you visit Facebook
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All versions:
3.6 starsout of 5 votes
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Current version:
1.0 starsout of 1 votes
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My rating:
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"Would not load in Chrome. 'Download was not a CRX'."
Version: DoNotTrackMe for Chrome 2.2.8.109
Pros
None, can't load.
Cons
Doesn't work!
Summary
See above, nothing more to say.
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