If ad blocking is the hacksaw of Internet-protecting add-ons, Do Not Track Plus (DNT+) is a finely honed katana, slicing out tracking behaviors embedded in sites without destroying the modern Web.

It's cross-browser and cross-platform, and will work in Firefox, Chrome, IE, and Safari. An Opera version is in the works. DNT+ blocks sites and ads from tracking you, unless you give them explicit permission to do so. For most sites, it actually rebuilds tools like social-networking buttons on the fly so you can still get your social on without sacrificing privacy or site load times. It also blocks ad networks and companies from following you around the Web.

DNT+ installs as a browser toolbar button. The icon reflects the number of tracking blocks against the site you're viewing. Click the button and a drop-down window appears with trackers separated into three categories: social buttons, ad networks, and companies. If there's something marked verboten that you want back, like a Twitter button, clicking it will resurrect it. Otherwise, the links at the bottom of each section take you to sites that explain what the add-on is doing and why it's doing it. This is smart, helpful stuff.