Why "Do Not Track" is Dumb

Such a list would function much like the FTC’s "do not call" registry that consumers can join to prevent telemarketing phone calls, according to the groups, which include the Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Consumer Federation of America.

Oh it would, would it? I don’t think so. While it’s easy to remove you telephone number from a telemarketer’s list–your number is always the same–how can that work with the internet? Let’s look at the challenges, shall we?

1. What exactly would you opt-out? Your IP address? The one you share with thousands of other dial-up users or the one that gets renewed every time your DSL/cable connection drops?


2. How about cookies? You know, the cookies that are specific to your browser. Oh wait, what happens when you switch browsers? What about if you want to be tracked, but your wife doesn’t? And what about if you you use more than one computer? Perhaps we need a cookie to track who doesn’t want cookies?

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