Yahoo Abandons “Do Not Track”, Citing Lack Of Industry Standard

By Ginny Marvin

Published: May 1, 2014 at 12:11 pm

Yahoo yesterday announced that it will no longer adhere to Do Not Track browser signals, further compromising the effectiveness of the setting in the online ecosystem.

“As of today, web browser Do Not Track settings will no longer be enabled on Yahoo. As the first major tech company to implement Do Not Track, we’ve been at the heart of conversations surrounding how to develop the most user-friendly standard. However, we have yet to see a single standard emerge that is effective, easy to use and has been adopted by the broader tech industry.”

The change is framed as a move toward better personalization: “We fundamentally believe the best web is a personalized one,” and users are instead given the option to “tailor their online experience through the variety of privacy tools” offered within the Yahoo platform.

To learn more about the move and what it means for the Do Not Track initiative, see the full coverage on Marketing Land.

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About the author

Ginny Marvin

Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day-to-day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin wrote about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.