What can users do against server-side tracking, and why is it so hard to defend against?

DNS filters (Pi-hole, NextDNS) block known tracking servers, but they don't catch all server-side tracking — which is fundamentally not preventable by the end user. Only legal regulation and consent offer real control.

Partial defense:

• DNS filters (e.g. Pi-hole, NextDNS) block known tracking servers at the DNS level
• Limitation: they don't work against all server-side tracking — if the first-party server forwards data, there's no tracker domain to block

The hard truth:

• Server-side tracking is technically not preventable by end users, because the data exchange happens between servers, invisible to the browser
• The only effective control comes from legal regulation (GDPR) and explicit user consent

This flips the usual privacy advice on its head: tools and browser settings can't save you here. The protection has to come from law and policy, not from client-side technology — a recurring theme across the privacy course.