How to Use the Captain Compliance GPC Extension

The Captain Compliance GPC Extension is a Chrome browser extension designed to help you test Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals, evaluate how websites respond to privacy preferences, and identify common tracking activity.

This tool is useful for validating Captain Compliance consent banners as well as other website consent mechanisms.

The extension is available in the Chrome Web Store.

• Visit the extension download page

• Click Add to Chrome

• Confirm the installation when prompted

Once installed, the Captain Compliance icon will appear in your browser toolbar.

The extension allows you to send a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal directly from your browser.

To enable GPC:

• Open the Captain Compliance GPC Extension

• Toggle GPC to the ON position

• Reload the website you are testing

When enabled, the browser will transmit a GPC signal to websites you visit. This can be used to test whether a consent banner or privacy mechanism properly honors GPC-based opt-out requirements.

Common validation scenarios include:

• Confirming that “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” is automatically enabled

• Verifying that targeting or sale-related categories are disabled

• Testing consent behavior without interacting with the banner manually

The extension automatically detects and flags 20 of the most common third-party trackers found on websites.

For each detected tracker, the extension indicates:

• The tracker vendor

• Whether the tracker is present on the page

• Whether observed behavior appears consistent with the user’s privacy preferences

This allows you to quickly assess whether non-essential technologies are loading when they should not be.

In addition to GPC testing, the extension allows you to Designate Manual Opt-Out.

This feature is useful when:

• You want to test cookie and tracker behavior without sending a GPC signal

• You are validating opt-out behavior driven solely by a consent banner

• You want to isolate banner-based enforcement from GPC-based enforcement

When Manual Opt-Out is enabled, the extension simulates a user opt-out state and helps you observe whether cookies and trackers behave as expected.