Following a similar announcement from Mozilla, Google is rolling out a new feature that lets Chrome browser users opt out permanently from ad-tracking cookies. Dubbed Keep My Opt-Outs, the extension is available as a download.
Google developed the feature for the same reason as Mozilla, maker of Firefox: The Federal Trade Commission, among others, has expressed interest in a “do not track” mechanism offering users a simple way to opt out of behavior-based advertising.
“This shows that once again the browser vendors are looking for ways to differentiate from each other. It’s obviously not a de facto setting, it’s something consumers have to enable,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner. “But it also shows that there is a perception that consumers are becoming more concerned about what is happening online, how they are being tracked, and how information is being used.”
Less-Relevant Ads
Opting out of personalized ads is nothing new. Technologies exist that even let customers tailor personalized ads by specifying what types of ads they are most interested in. But Google and Mozilla both pointed to technical challenges with these opt-outs and controls.
“If you clear your browser’s cookies, all customized settings — including these opt-outs — are lost,” Sean Harvey and Rajas Moonka, product managers at Google, wrote in a blog post. “Another challenge is that sometimes new companies offer opt-outs, so you’d have to check frequently to make sure you’re opted out of what you want. A better ‘do not track’ mechanism is a browser extension that means you can easily opt out of personalized advertising from all participating ad networks only once and store that setting permanently.”
Harvey and Moonka said Google has been addressing these issues for some time. In fact, two years ago the company engineered a solution for its Google ad system. Google rolled out a downloadable…