Global Privacy Control

Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a proposed specification designed to allow Internet users to notify businesses of their privacy preferences. It consists of a setting or extension in the user’s browser or mobile device and acts as a mechanism that websites can use to indicate they support the specification. GPC is being developed by a broad coalition of stakeholders, including technologists, web publishers, technology companies, browser vendors, extension developers, academics, and civil rights organizations. The GPC signal will be intended to communicate a Do Not Sell request from a global privacy control, as per the browser or device, or, if known, the consumer. Key features of GPC include the ability to exercise your legal privacy rights in one step, send a signal to websites to respect your privacy rights, and limit the sale or sharing of your personal data. Technical implementation details include the availability of GPC as part of several major browsers, extensions, and websites, with a proposed specification and back-end implementation reference documentation available. Specific use cases or benefits of GPC include the ability to opt out of websites selling or sharing your personal information, and the ability to invoke your privacy rights in a simple and accessible way. Unique differentiators of GPC include its broad coalition of stakeholders, its availability across multiple browsers and extensions, and its potential to provide a clear and binary indication of an individual's choice.