Just days after finalizing its search and advertising agreement with Microsoft, Yahoo on Monday rolled out a beta version of a new consumer tool it hopes will appease growing concerns from privacy advocates. Dubbed Ad Interest Manager, Yahoo said the tool takes online advertising transparency to a new level to build user trust.
Essentially, Ad Interest Manager is a hub where Yahoo visitors can view a summary of their online activity at Yahoo and decide how much exposure they want to online advertising served via the Yahoo Ad Network.
Anne Toth, Yahoo’s vice president of policy and head of privacy, is convinced that ads tailored to users’ interests make online experiences more compelling and user-focused. She pointed to Yahoo’s commitment to advertising transparency as a way for users to create even more user-focused experiences.
“Yahoo is committed to providing consumers with increased transparency and control when they are online. Ad Interest Manager will show users what interests we think they have, and also let them edit and change those interests to reflect the most up-to-date information,” Toth said. “Importantly, users who don’t want Interest-based ads can turn them off completely.”
No Advertising, Please
The Ad Interest Manager tool offers five Yahoo-described benefits for consumers who search on the platform. First, as Toth mentioned, it offers consumers a central point where they can exercise more control over their online experience. David Zinman, a Yahoo vice president and general manager of display advertising, expanded on the idea.
“Yahoo has long provided its users with products and services for free, thanks to a business model based almost entirely on advertising, and we’ve found that consumers are more likely to click on advertising that speaks directly to them and their interests,” Zinman said. “With the introduction of Ad Interest Manager, users can not only get a better understanding of…