... Bill Kerrigan, ceo of Abine: "The intent of the free add-on is as much to educate as it is to protect."We want to help people understand what's happening when they're tracked, and give them a sense of control over the Internet that doesn't impact their experience."
DNT+ blocks sites and ads from tracking surfers, unless they have given their explicit permission to do so. For most sites, the add-in actually rebuilds tools like social-networking buttons on the fly, enabling users to enjoy their cyber-socialising without sacrificing privacy or site load times. DNT+ also blocks ad networks and companies from following individuals around the web.
Clearly no ally of online ad agencies and their clients, the company's chief technical officer Andy Sudbury admits: "We want to stop people from being beholden to advertisers.
He insists, however, that there's more to it than that. "The main idea here is building privacy tools for everyday users. We want to be enabling technology, rather than an experience at the expense of functionality."
Unlike traditional ad-blockers or JavaScript blockers, the DNT+ add-in allows users to experience the web as it's currently intended by a site's owners and developers.
DNT+ installs as a browser toolbar button, which displays the number of tracking blocks against the site you're viewing. Click the button and a drop-down window appears with trackers separated into three categories: social buttons, ad networks, and companies. If there's something marked 'Verboten' that you want back, like a Twitter button, clicking it will resurrect it.
Moreover, if you're curious about which companies are tracking you, clicking that section of the add-in reveals the real identities of the targeting advertisers.