Do DNS filters block email trackers?

Questions
1

I’m using Mullvad VPN with DNS content filtering enabled. If I use an email client that doesn’t have tracking protection, in my case, Outlook, would the DNS filtering prevent the trackers? I’m thinking it would, but was curious what others thought.

2

If the tracking images use separate tracking subdomains then in theory DNS can block it.

If the trackers use the path example.com/track/... with a valid/wide-use domain then DNS can’t block it.

1 Like
3

I’d be surprised if it doesn’t have the option to not show remote content, which is how most email tracking is done outside of tracking when you click one of the links, in which case you’d have to figure out where the link goes (without loading it first) and rewrite the link itself.

4

If you use Mail on macOS, it has a built in feature where it does block trackers for all accounts added. I think the same is possible on iOS but I’m not 100% sure.

What you’re saying is not necessarily possible. It cannot block email trackers as far as I know and understand.

5

Apple mail privacy protection doesn’t block trackers, it loads them intentionally when you receive the email and hides your IP while doing so. I assume this is in hopes of making the fact that remote content was loaded a useless indicator of whether the email was actually opened or not, but I prefer to just make sure it’s never loaded at all since I assume most spam emails will take the fact that remote content was loaded as an invitation to send even more spam regardless of when it was loaded. More info is available here:

6

Thank you for correcting me. I did not know the specifics because I don’t actively use it but did at one point and commented based on what I knew or thought how it worked. There was also a Mail plug0in back in the day to use but it was not needed when this feature was developed - as told by the developer themselves.

I guess, I don’t know the solution is for this particular need case but it’s always best to use the web platform for mail in my experience.

7

Some do block pixel tracking and link tracking. What annoys me is when unsubscribe link is a tracking link and my selfhosted adguardhome blocked it via aggressive list i used so occasionally i got to allow some of them through.