Many times we have come to suspect that Google is in our head, reading our thoughts and anticipating our desires. But the explanation does not lie in magic, but in technology. The answer is Ad Settings.
In this post we are going to analyze what Ads Settings is: its operation, its scope and its usefulness. For any user of the Google search engine it is important to understand everything about this tool, but above all it is for those who have started some type of online business, however modest it may be. In this can be found the key to success or failure.
What is Google Ads Settings?
It is a fantastic tool with which we will be able to manage the data that Google handles about us. For example, it allows us to know in which segment or group the search engine places us and why the type of advertising we receive reaches us.
But Ads Settings is not just a query tool, as it gives us the opportunity to modify your options according to our tastes, preferences and needs. In the same way, we can also prevent our data from being taken into consideration by Google so that the information about our preferences is completely private.
Precisely the existence of Ads Settings is the explanation to the question that we raised at the beginning. It is this function that records our data for later use. Every time we log into our Google account or one of its associated platforms (YouTube, Gmail, etc.), we are giving permission for the storage of the information regarding the pages we visit and other actions.
But calm down: there is nothing perverse in this way of proceeding. everything is legal and, in principle, it is structured like this to offer a better service to the user. In fact, part of Google's success is based on this treatment of its users' data.
Of course, through Ads Settings it is in our power to act on this particular or to let everything continue working as before.
Google Ads Settings Features
The first and most important function of Ads Settings is to know what information Google has stored on its servers about our tastes and habits on the Internet. It is what is known as "segmentation keys", which are the ones that will determine the type of advertising we receive while browsing the net.
Ads Settings allows us to act on these keys or categories individually, through a button that can be activated or deactivated. If we choose to deactivate them, they will be unlinked from our profile. These are the steps to follow to do so:
- First of all, we have to go to our Google account.
- There, in the navigation panel that appears on the left, we click on "Privacy and Personalization".
- Then we go to the ad personalization panel, where we click on "Go to ad settings".
- We activate the option "Ad Personalization" (if it is disabled).
- Finally, in the section called "How your ads are personalized", we select our personal information and our interests.
Once we tell Ads Settings to stop tracking or remove any targeting factor or key, Google will hide all that information from third parties.
On the “Privacy and personalization” page itself there is a section on data and privacy options that presents four sections, where the aforementioned options to activate and deactivate are also found:
Things you have done and places you have visited
Activities on web pages and applications, Youtube history, application history, Google Fit activity log, etc.
Information you can share with others
All the personal data that we have saved in our account that, although it is private, can be voluntarily shared with other people: date of birth, email address, subscriptions, payment methods, contacts, devices...
Data from apps and services you use
The content and preferences of the Google services that we normally use: Google Maps, YouTube, Google Drive, GMail…
More options
Basically, this option contemplates certain very specific scenarios: what happens to the data when a Google account is permanently deleted or when it stops being used due to the death of its owner, which is known as managing our digital legacy.
About personalized advertising
As Google well informs on its own website myadcenter.google.com, is included in the category of personalized advertising all the personal information of the users that is useful to be able to offer them ads that are more tailored to their interests. The only exception is the one that refers to the data of minors, which are naturally under protection. That's why Google doesn't share these users' personal information (birthdays, activity histories, etc.) with any advertisers.