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In the sites I manage I've tended to default to honour the Do Not Track request (if it exists), I'm working on Drupal sites at the moment and Drupal's Google Analytics module means that is simple (it's a checkbox), and Google Analytics is currently the only tracking tech we use on them.

However, we use Google DFP DoubleClick for Publishers (Small Business free version) to serve ads, and I'm wondering whether those stats are affected?

With the DNT checkbox checked on Firefox and Drupal's GA module set up to honour my DNT choice, Drupal doesn't serve the Google Analytics tracking JS (it doesn't, I checked with my own DNT configured visit on Firefox) and the DNT checkbox doesn't inhibit the DFP ad slots being rendered does this mean DFP stats are unaffected? (Apparently DFP has a delay in reporting, and no GA equivalent "Real time" reporting so I thought I'd ask here rather than devise a test) I don't know enough about either the DFP tech or the DNT background.

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Not sure, but "Google" doesn't, based on:

Most websites and web services, including Google's, don't change their behavior when they receive a Do Not Track request. Chrome doesn't provide details of which websites and web services respect Do Not Track requests and how websites interpret them.

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2790761?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en

Not sure how directly this relates to Google Ad Manager (formerly DFP).

In researching a related question (whilst deciphering a privacy contract), I came across a reference in the OpenRTB spec:

Bidrequest object

https://developers.google.com/authorized-buyers/rtb/openrtb-guide#bid-request-variables-and-definitions

The bid request bundles the Device object, which contains:

dnt table

So, we should also ask: "will all of the upstream advertising vendors honour DNT?". My guess is:

  • they likely pay at least lip service to it
  • some probably outright ignore it and cover their tracks (see a related privacy topic: GDPR consent string fraud)
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No, Google DoubleClick never honor Do Not Track header, although Chrome had such setting option.

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    Such a short answer is not high quality. How do you know this? Do you have a reference that you can share with us? Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 9:36

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