Chrome: How to Stop it from Selling Your Browser History for Ad Targeting

Over the past few months, Google has been slowly rolling out Chrome’s new ad technology. Described as “Enhanced ad privacy,” the new policy essentially allows websites to use a user’s Chrome browser history and serve ads related to that user.

The new technology first appeared in a Chrome update in July, but more users are now reporting a pop-up announcing the addition. If you haven’t seen it yet, chances are you will see it soon.

When the pop-up window appears, it notifies users about the change in advertising rules and details what’s new. Google tells users that they can make changes in Chrome settings.

An algorithm that creates a list of topics that Google thinks you are interested in

While this is essentially the same thing as third-party tracking cookies that have been around for a while, many people are upset that Google is using their online activity to boost ad targeting. Fortunately, there is a relatively simple way to better protect yourself.

In your Chrome browser, click Settingsthen on Privacy and Security and finally on Ad Privacy. Once you are there, you will see a screen with three tabs: Ad themes, Ads suggested by the site And Ad measurement.

Screenshot by ZDNET France

The first is an algorithm that creates a list of topics that Google thinks you are interested in based on your online activity, the second is a service that suggests ads based on the websites you have visited, and the third is a category of data that allows advertisers to estimate the performance of advertisements.

If you want, you can dive into the ads sections to find out what Google knows about you. But if you just want to stop Google from tracking you (at least for these purposes), you just need to disable all three categories.

Screenshot by ZDNET France

Other sites will still have ways to track you, but this measure reduces Google Chrome’s use of your personal information.

Of course, this is only a small part of the online privacy puzzle, seeing as you are almost always tracked everywhere you go online. It is nevertheless a first step towards better control of data by users.

If you still have doubts about Chrome’s new policy, you can also consider an alternative browser that focuses on this area.

Source: “ZDNet.com”