Privacy Enhancing Technology

A category of tools, protocols, and practices designed to protect user privacy while using digital systems, including anonymising proxies, tracker blockers, end-to-end encryption, differential privacy, and private browsing modes. PETs increasingly intersect with accessibility because disabled users rely on browser extensions and assistive tools that may inadvertently undermine privacy, and because privacy controls (such as cookie consent dialogs and permission prompts) are often themselves inaccessible.