Hi, I'm Shuman Ghosemajumder, Business Product Manager for
Trust and Safety at Google.
Our goal is to help you, our users, find the information
you're looking for.
We do this by giving you search results, but also by
showing you ads that you might be interested in.
Some of these ads are on sites around the web, such as news
sites or blogs, that partner with Google to show ads.
And some are on our video site, YouTube.
You can recognize many of our ads by the
"Ads by Google" label.
We want these ads to be as relevant as possible for you.
Sometimes we show ads related to the content on the page
you're currently viewing.
Other times we'll show you ads based on interest categories.
So if you love to travel and frequently visit
travel-related websites, you more likely to see
interest-based ads about vacations and travel deals as
you surf the web.
Here's how this works.
When you visit a website that shows "Ads by Google," Google
stores a cookie, a string of random numbers and letters, in
your browser to remember your visit.
If many of the websites you visit or YouTube videos you
watch are about travel, Google puts your cookie number in the
travel interest category.
Now, when you visit websites that show interest-based ads
by Google, Google recognizes your cookie number and shows
you more travel ads.
Google also uses your cookie number to allow advertisers to
show you ads based on your previous interactions with
them, such as visits to their websites.
For example, if you visit a website that sells pet
supplies, you might see an ad from that particular website
the next time you browse other sites showing interest-based
ads from Google.
It's important to remember that when you see
interest-based ads by Google, they're not based on any
information stored in your Google account, such as your
email, or any visits to websites with sensitive
content, such as medical information.
Your cookie doesn't tell Google who you are or any
personal information about you, such as your address or
phone number.
And we don't collect personal information or share it with
others without your permission.
Google lets you edit the interest categories associated
with your cookie using our Ads Preferences Manager.
This helps you customize which interest-based ads you see so
they're even more relevant to you.
To set your Google Ads Preferences, type
google.com/ads/preferences into your browser.
Or, in many cases, you can click on Ads by Google, then
click on Ads Preferences.
Click Add Interests to scroll through a list of interest
categories.
If you're interested in sports, just add the sports
category, and we'll show you more sports-related ads.
You can also remove interest categories if you'd like to
see fewer of those types of ads.
Your preferences also apply to ads you see on YouTube.
If you're curious, the Ads Preferences Manager shows you
the cookie number that Google
associates with your interests.
If you prefer not to see interest-based ads from
Google, you can opt out at any time with one click.
After you opt out, Google won't collect interest
category information, and you won't receive
interest-based ads.
You'll still see the same number of ads, but they may
not be as relevant to you.
Remember, if you set your Ads Preferences or opt out of
interest-based ads, this information is only stored on
the browser of the computer that you're using at the time.
And if you delete your browser's cookies, you'll need
to reset your preferences or opt out of
interest-based ads again.
You can also save your opt-out settings permanently.
After you opt out, just click the download button, and
follow the instructions to install a browser plug-in that
saves your opt-out settings even when
you clear your cookies.
I hope this gives you a better idea of how Google shows
interest-based ads and how you can set your Ads Preferences.
Thanks for watching.