Global Privacy Control: How to Turn It On

Instead of clicking “do not sell” on every site, you can send one signal from your browser. Here is how that works and where it stops.

By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 20, 2026

Many websites let you opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, but only through a link buried at the bottom of the page. Doing it site by site is tiring. Global Privacy Control exists to do it once.

What GPC does

The California Privacy Protection Agency’s guide to enabling opt-out preference signals explains that your browser sends a signal that tells businesses not to sell or share your personal information. Businesses are expected to honour it.

It is a request to the website, sent automatically with your connection. It does not block anything in your browser by itself.

How to turn it on

The guide gives three steps, which apply to any browser or device:

Do it on every browser and device

The signal belongs to the browser, not to you. If you use more than one browser, or a phone and a laptop, set it up on each. A private window may use different settings, so check them too.

What it does not do

• It does not hide you. Websites can still see your IP address and can still use cookies and other tracking not covered by the opt-out.
• It is not honoured everywhere. The legal duty to respect it depends on where you live and on the law that applies to the business.
• It does not delete data. It applies to future sale and sharing. To delete data already collected, use a deletion request. See how to send a CCPA deletion request.
• It is not an account setting. If you are signed in, a site may link the request to your account, depending on the business.

Combine it with other steps

GPC works best as one layer. Block cross-site cookies in your browser (see tracking cookies and how to block them), reduce what your browser reveals (browser fingerprinting explained), and use the deletion and opt-out tools described in the California Delete Act guide.

Why a single signal helps

Opt-out links are scattered across thousands of sites and often hard to find. A signal sent by the browser means you set your preference once and it travels with you. It is a small step, but it turns an exhausting task into a default.

Check it after browser updates

Browser updates can change menus and sometimes reset settings. Every so often, open your privacy settings and confirm the opt-out signal is still on, particularly after installing a new browser, creating a new profile or switching devices. A two-minute check keeps the protection in place.

Does it work?

You can check that the setting is on in your browser, but you cannot easily see whether a site honours it. That is a limit of the signal, not of your setup. Check the privacy policies of sites you care about to see how they handle opt-out signals.

The browser menus change often, so use the labels in your own browser or add-on store rather than relying on a fixed path.