Google Ads Become More Targeted With New Tracking Cookies

Google has launched a new service for advertising partners that allows them to better target ads to consumers. With Google's new Ads Preferences users can modify their "interests" and ad's will be better targeted to them, or the browser that they are using. Users can also choose to "Opt Out" of the service entirely.

"At Google, we believe that ads are a valuable source of information one that can connect people to the advertisers offering products, services and ideas that interest them. By making ads more relevant, and improving the connection between advertisers and our users, we can create more value for everyone. Users get more useful ads, and these more relevant ads generate higher returns for advertisers and publishers. Advertising is the lifeblood of the digital economy: it helps support the content and services we all enjoy for free online today, including much of our news, search, email, video and social networks." - The Google Blog stated.

"We believe there is real value to seeing ads about the things that interest you. If, for example, you love adventure travel and therefore visit adventure travel sites, Google could show you more ads for activities like hiking trips to Patagonia or African safaris. While interest-based advertising can infer your interest in adventure travel from the websites you visit, you can also choose your favorite categories, or tell us which categories you don't want to see ads for. Interest-based advertising also helps advertisers tailor ads for you based on your previous interactions with them, such as visits to their websites. So if you visit an online sports store, you may later be shown ads on other websites offering you a discount on running shoes during that store's upcoming sale."

This step towards more targeting advertising and tracking may come as a privacy issue to many - I guess they do allow you the option to "Opt Out" but like with many privacy things - services like this should be more of an "Opt-in" than an "Opt-out" regime.