Global Privacy Controls (GPC)


Global Privacy Controls (GPC) is a signal that browsers or tools emit to consent management platforms (CMPs). GPC is important because some legislation – like the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) – require that CMPs treat the GPC signal like a user consent decision. In order to be compliant with legislation like the CPRA, CMPs must listen for the GPC signal from the browser; if the signal is received, CMPs should proceed as if the user has opted out of all unnecessary cookies.


GPC is not widely emitted by browsers. As of April 30th, 2024, Firefox is the only browser that supports and emits the GPC signal (
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Navigator/globalPrivacyControl), meaning that website viewers utilizing any other browser will never natively emit GPC to CMPs. Since support for GPC is currently limited, many third party developers have built extensions that users can integrate with their browsers to emit GPC.


Springtime supports the native GPC signal emitted by Firefox (
navigator.globalPrivacyControl ), and the non-native browser-extension GPC signal. Additionally, Springtime will support GPC emitted by other browsers when they eventually support GPC natively.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


What do I need to do to configure Springtime to be compliant with GPC?


As a Springtime client, you do not need to take any action to be compliant with the GPC signal. Springtime supports GPC out-of-the-box.


Is a GPC consent decision treated identically to a consent decision made by a viewer in the banner?


Yes, including persistence of the consent decision to the audit log. Under CPRA, consent decisions through GPC need to be treated the same way as direct in-banner consent decisions.


If a website viewer emits the GPC signal through their browser, will the banner still pop?


No. If Springtime detects the GPC signal from the browser, it will not pop the banner when the page renders.


Can website viewers accept cookies with the GPC signal?


No. There is presently no way for a user to send an affirmative consent decision with the GPC signal. GPC only allows users to opt-out of cookies.


Will Springtime block necessary cookies if it receives the GPC opt-out signal?


No. Springtime will never block cookies categorized as necessary.


If a website viewer emits the GPC signal through the browser, and we’ve integrated Springtime with Google Consent Mode in Google Tag Manager, will the GPC signal be persisted through to Google Tag Manager?


Yes - the GPC signal will persist through to Google Tag Manager.





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