Google has quietly taken a big step toward improving privacy at the browser level. A new entry in the Chrome Platform Status shows that Google and the Chromium project are finally preparing to support Global Privacy Control (GPC). That’s a big deal because it’s a legally recognized signal that automatically tells websites, directly through your browser, to stop selling or sharing your personal information.
A data protection signal with legal weight
The idea behind Global Privacy Control is to give you the ability to make a single privacy decision that will be remembered. Once you enable it, your browser will send a “mute” signal to every website you visit, telling them not to share your information. Unlike the annoying cookie banners that pop up on every page, GPC runs in the background. Set it once and you’re done.
This isn’t just a “nice to have” feature; it has real legal teeth. California Privacy Law already recognizes GPC as a valid opt-out option, and starting in January 2027, a new law called the “Opt Me Out Act” will actually require all major browsers used in California to have this built-in option. Google’s new move suggests that Chrome can finally meet this deadline. According to the filing, Chrome will follow the official W3C specifications, which include a visibility setting for users and a way for websites to detect the signal through a simple code snippet.
Chrome is catching up with browser data protection
With this, Google finally joins the club already occupied by privacy-focused browsers like Firefox, Brave and DuckDuckGo. Chrome relied on Do Not Track (DNT) for years, but that was essentially a polite request that sites were allowed to ignore. GPC is different because it is backed by regulations. In fact, the California Attorney General has already paid out large settlements – like the $1.2 million Sephora case – to companies that failed to respect these signals.
For the average person, this could ultimately mean the end of managing consent pop-ups on every single website. Instead, your browser acts as your agent, consistently enforcing your privacy settings across the web. This is a much cleaner and more automated way to protect your data, especially if you live in a state where these rights are protected by law.
Looking ahead, Google’s entry is technically still a work in progress and does not yet have a set start date. Privacy advocates will definitely be watching this closely, given how heavily Google’s business relies on advertising. But the signal is clear: we are moving toward a future where browser-level privacy is not just an option for power users, but a legal requirement.
