Google Chrome Tests Visible Global Privacy Control Toggle in Canary
Google is testing a visible toggle for Global Privacy Control (GPC) inside Chrome Canary. The control lets users send a single request asking websites not to sell or share personal data and not to use it for targeted advertising.
When the toggle is enabled, the browser automatically adds the Sec-GPC: 1 header to outgoing web requests and exposes the corresponding value through the navigator.globalPrivacyControl JavaScript property. In jurisdictions with compatible legislation, such as California’s CCPA, this signal can be treated as a formal “Do Not Sell or Share” opt-out.
The new switch appears in the privacy section of Chrome Canary, primarily on Android. Experimental flags also exist for Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS, although the desktop user interface is not yet fully implemented.
During testing, researchers discovered that two separate flags must be activated: one to display the toggle and another (Force Global Privacy Control Signal) to actually transmit Sec-GPC: 1. Simply enabling the visible button is insufficient.
Even after full activation, GPC remains a request rather than an enforceable command. Websites determine their own response, and real-world impact depends on both technical support for the standard and the legal requirements of each region.
The feature is not yet present in the stable version of Google Chrome and its final behavior may still change before wider release.
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