Disable Chrome’s Topics API¶

Google’s Topics API is a feature in Chrome that tracks your browsing habits to show “relevant” ads. Instead of tracking you across websites with cookies, it assigns you interest categories (like “Fitness” or “Travel”) based on what you visit.

Turn off Topics in Chrome¶

Open Chrome and type in the address bar chrome://settings/privacy

Scroll down to “Ad privacy” (or search for it) and disable all three options:

• “Ad Topics” (stops interest-based tracking)

• “Site-suggested ads” (blocks sites from recommending ads)

• “Ad measurement” (prevents tracking ad clicks)

Note: Google may still collect some data, but this reduces how much is used for ads.

Why disabling Topics API is not enough¶

Even with these settings off, Chrome still:

• Tracks your IP address

• Keeps browser fingerprinting active

• Shares data with Google for “analytics”

For stronger privacy, consider switching to a privacy-focused browser.