Most web browsers currently have a feature called “Do Not Track” hidden in settings. In the case of Mozilla’s Firefox browser, Windows Report has spotted a change in the upcoming version — the setting is gone. But this doesn’t mean what you think it means.

As the name suggests, if you have “Do Not Track” enabled when you load a web page it sends a request to the website stating that you don’t want to be tracked. However, websites have no reason to respect the signal — meaning the setting is useless (and misleading).

Even worse, “Do Not Track” isn’t just ignored, it had the opposite effect as it provided a signal to websites that could be used to identify users and track them better. That’s exactly why Apple removed “Do Not Track” from Safari in 2019.

In other words, “Do Not Track” proves — once again — that self-regulation doesn’t work.