What Is the Global Privacy Platform?
The Global Privacy Platform, usually shortened to GPP, is a standard way of carrying a visitor's privacy choices, whatever country or state they happen to be in.
It exists because privacy law is no longer one set of rules. Europe has its rules, California has different ones, and Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Canada and others each added their own. The details differ, and so does the basic assumption about what you're allowed to do before anyone says anything.
Rather than a separate system for each, GPP acts as a container. It carries whichever set of rules applies to the person visiting, and reports which ones those are.
Opt-In and Opt-Out
Europe works on opt-in, so nothing happens until the visitor actively agrees, and no answer means no tracking.
Most US state laws work on opt-out. Data can be used unless the person tells you to stop, usually through a "do not sell or share my personal information" link, a preference in a banner, or a signal sent automatically by their browser.
So the same missing answer means opposite things depending on where someone is: in Europe it means stop, and in California it generally doesn't. GPP's job is to tell your tools which situation they're in, so they don't apply the wrong assumption.
Global Privacy Control
Some browsers and extensions send a Global Privacy Control signal automatically, without the visitor touching your banner at all.
It's a standing instruction: this person has opted out of having their data sold or shared, everywhere, in advance. In about a dozen US states it carries legal weight and has to be followed.
For conversion tracking, that means advertising and remarketing should be treated as declined for that visitor even though they never interacted with your consent banner.
When More Than One Set of Rules Applies
A visitor can fall under several at once, so someone might be covered by European rules through the IAB TCF and by a US state law through GPP at the same time.
The sensible approach is to track only when every set of rules that applies allows it, so if one says yes and another says no, the answer is no.
Why It Matters for Conversion Tracking
Marketing conversions are the part most affected, because the US opt-outs are aimed squarely at using personal data for advertising. Basic measurement is usually less restricted than sending customer details to an ad platform for matching.
There's also a timing problem, because the signal isn't always ready the instant a page loads. If your tracking fires before it arrives and assumes permission, you've tracked someone who may have opted out, so waiting for a definite answer is the only safe way to handle it.
The Global Privacy Platform on WordPress Sites
If your consent banner supports GPP, it's already doing the hard part of working out which rules apply. The next question is whether your analytics and advertising tools read that result.
Many WordPress tracking setups only understand simple cookie categories, which cannot express "this visitor is in a state where advertising is allowed unless they opt out, and they have."
How Conversion Bridge Helps
With the ConsentManager (IAB TCFA shared industry standard that records what a visitor agreed to and passes that decision to every advertising company involved, so consent only has to be collected once. & GPP) banner selected in its settings, Conversion Bridge reads the GPP signal, works out which rules apply to each visitor, and applies them. It waits until the signal is ready rather than guessing, treats a Global Privacy Control opt-out reported through GPP as an opt-out from marketing, and where more than one set of rules applies, only tracks when all of them allow it. If it can't get a usable answer, it holds rather than assuming permission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GPP a replacement for the IAB TCF?
No, it's a container that can carry the TCF inside it along with US and Canadian sections, and many banners support both together.
Do I need this if all my customers are in one country?
Possibly not, but visitors don't always come from where you expect. If you advertise internationally, someone covered by rules you weren't planning for will eventually land on your site.
Does honoring an opt-out mean I lose all my analytics?
Usually not, because opt-outs are mostly aimed at selling and sharing data for advertising. Basic measurement often continues, though what's allowed depends on the specific law and how your site is set up.