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Google is giving users more control over the advertisements they see on the platform. Announced during its annual I/O developer conference, a tool called My Ad Center, expected to roll out later this year, will give users the ability to fine-tune the advertisements they see on Google Search, Discover, and YouTube.
In practice: If someone searches for something related to fitness and is shown an advertisement for running shoes, they could click on a tab beside the ad, prompting them to either see “more” or “fewer” ads like this, either by topic (“fitness”) or at the brand level (Nike). These changes can also be made within a My Ad Center hub.
- You can also clarify assumptions Google might have made about you, like your age and gender, or whether you’re a homeowner or a renter.
- Limits on “sensitive” categories like alcohol, gambling, weight loss, and pregnancy and parenting can be limited within My Ad Center.
- Advertisers won’t have access to these preferences, though it’ll affect the ads targeted to users.
“Our users have told us loud and clear that what makes them feel better about their ad experience is that they are in control,” David Temkin, a senior director of product management at Google, told reporters ahead of the announcement. “This product gives users control over the algorithm, and that, we think, represents a fundamental advancement for ads.”
My Ad Center will be available globally and is limited to just Google’s properties, meaning it won’t impact ads on other websites.
Zoom out: In January, Google announced that it was getting rid of FLoC and going with “topics” as a replacement for third-party cookies.—RB