[user.js suggestion] Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals [redundant with dFPI]

Wouldn’t it be good to enable them by default, or aren’t they enabled because of fingerprinting?

<spoiler>

privacy.globalprivacycontrol.enabled
privacy.globalprivacycontrol.functionality.enabled
privacy.globalprivacycontrol.was_ever_enabled
privacy.donottrackheader.enabled

</spoiler>

[devingoodman]

I am hoping to convince you to reopen Issue #1542. The GPC concept has made a lot of progress and it I think it is worth re-evaluating. Consider the following:

1. The GPC header is honored by a lot of highly ranked sites. These include news orgs like the NYTimes, Washington Post and the Financial Times. Top visited sites like People Magazine which has 4.1 billion weekly media impressions, Entertainment Weekly, Better Homes & Gardens (59 million monthly page views), Martha Stewart (13 million monthly page views) Travel + Leisure (33 million monthly page views) Health and Medical sites that consistently rank on the 1st page of search engines like Health, VeryWell and Parents as well as major lifestyle outlets like InStyle, Brides and Shape.
2. In California, The GPC signal will be intended to communicate a Do Not Sell request from a global privacy control, as per CCPA-REGULATIONS §999.315 for that browser, or, if known, the consumer.
3. Under the GDPR, the intent of the GPC signal is to convey a general request that data controllers limit the sale or sharing of the user’s personal data to other data controllers GDPR Articles 7 & 21.

And some counter examples to @Thorin-Oakenpants earlier points from this comment,

in reality, No. One. Cares.

The California DOJ cares and the GPC header under the CCPA is being enforced. From the August 24, 2022 CA AG’s Press Release:

Today’s settlement is part of ongoing efforts by the Attorney General to enforce California’s comprehensive consumer privacy law that allows consumers to tell businesses to stop selling their personal information to third parties, including those signaled by the Global Privacy Control (GPC).

“Technologies like the Global Privacy Control are a game changer for consumers looking to exercise their data privacy rights. But these rights are meaningless if businesses hide how they are using their customer’s data and ignore requests to opt-out of its sale,” said Attorney General Bonta.

I don’t know off-hand if there are any GDPR enforcement actions, but I am sure the EU wouldn’t hesitate to enforce if they felt it was appropriate.

Currently, GPC isn’t included in your user.js I believe it would require the addition of two additional prefs:

user_pref("privacy.globalprivacycontrol.functionality.enabled", true);
user_pref("privacy.globalprivacycontrol.enabled", true);

But you would know about this bit better than than I.

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox. Here’s hoping you reconsider!

[fxbrit]

FYI: unlike DNT, the Global Privacy Control is legally binding, but from my understanding that applies exclusively to California and Colorado. GPC wouldn’t mean anything for the rest of the world, at least not now. also see -> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1670058#c1