Historically, advertisers used third-party tracking cookies to follow you across the internet. Because privacy tools now block these cookies, Google Chrome introduced a new, built-in tracking system called the “Privacy Sandbox” (previously known as FLoC, and now known as the Topics API).
Instead of relying on cookies, Chrome itself now analyzes your browsing history directly on your computer. It calculates your interests (e.g., “Fitness,” “Cars,” “Cooking”) and then broadcasts those topics directly to websites so they can serve you targeted ads. If you don’t want your own web browser acting as an advertising spy, you can safely disable this API.
How to Safely Disable the Google Chrome Topics API
You must dive into Chrome’s Ad Privacy settings to turn off the built-in tracking profiles.
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and select Settings.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
- Look for the section labeled Ad privacy and click on it.
- You will see three different tracking systems. Click on the first one: Ad topics.
- Toggle the switch at the top of the page to the Off position.
- Click the back arrow, and then click on Site-suggested ads.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position.
- Click the back arrow again, and click on Ad measurement.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position.
You have successfully neutered Chrome’s built-in tracking engine. The browser will no longer analyze your history to build advertising profiles, and it will stop broadcasting your personal interests to the websites you visit.