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How to opt out of interest based advertising and stop the ads from following you
What do interest-based ads mean? I am sure everybody has seen the online ads. Well, have you noticed how, when you log into a website and the ads show you something you would perhaps be interested in?
You could just be browsing and you find the exact computer or mobile or even shoes that you need? Or if you are looking for a new car and there pops an ad for car interiors? Or you are an interior designer and logging on to any website still shows you the curtains you had seen a month ago? Or you could be looking for a holiday destination one day and the next day, there is an ad for your dream vacation. And you just wonder how they know?
What are Interest-Based Ads?
These are interest-based ads. The internet is smarter than we can imagine. Whether you put in your info to register to a website or even if you sign up for an email service, companies view your information and suggest ads that suit your profile. You could be a sports enthusiast and they know, moreover, they know precisely what to show you. These are also based out of previous searches and websites you may have visited in the past. As much as we do not mind them, they do know a lot more than you think.
This is not always a good thing, as much as the internet world grows, your information and privacy expands too. Some people prefer to work trackless and privately and we don’t blame them. Sharing any online information may only seem to more information outside. and sometimes, you don’t even realise how much you give out about you and your life online. As for Interest-based-ads, lets take a look at how to stop them from following you everywhere.
Ways to Opt-Out of Interest Based Ads
There are a few websites that let you combat these enemies and Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) lets you know how many companies have an advertising cookie file on your computer! Choose their Opt-Out Tool and see for yourself.
Similarly, the org is a bigger, better option for opting out of cookies let loose after you. PrivacyMark, Profile View, TrackerScan, TrackerBlock, Disconnect, PrivacyCheck, Ghostery etc, so many options to choose from!
Google lets you switch off their spookiness by going into google.com/preferences and turn off the Ads based on your interest
Microsoft lets you be happy with general ads if you log in to choice.microsoft.com and turn off Personalized ads in this browser
Windows people go to Start then Settings then Privacy and hit that button for Let apps use my advertising ID for experience across apps. Confusing, I know. You’ll thank me later.
Amazon is a curse. Look up one item and it pops up on any page. Simply go to com/gp/dra/info and change settings for Do not Personalize Ads from Amazon for this Internet Browser.
Yahoo‘s Ad Interest Manager allows you to opt out of their intrusiveness by the same Opt Out option in their advertisement feature.
Your iPhone/iPad isn’t void of this either. Same procedure on Settings, Privacy, Ads, and it limits your ad tracks. Here, Apple has their own interest tracking system, iAds, yea!
Androids users, Twitter fans, Facebook junkies, same drill; Settings, Privacy, Ads.
Advertisements have always existed, and we’ve also learnt to ignore them on the side. So, do what you have to do to save your dignity and privacy. And let Mother Google rest for a while.
By the time you’re done, you might have the sense of accomplishment of being Ad-free but you have your freedom handed back to you when you see that ALL ads aren’t blocked. These steps may restrict the ads that are generated out of your past searches but there will always remain the curse of generic ads. By this time, we all do not seem to mind them at all. It’s like embellishments for the page, after all, if it weren’t for ads, how would they make any money.
These steps may restrict the ads that are generated out of your past searches but there will always remain the curse of generic ads. By this time, we all do not seem to mind them at all. It’s like embellishments for the page, after all, if it weren’t for ads, how would they make any money.
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