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Have you had that feeling where you think of something or talk about it and then later in the day, every app on your phone starts suggesting that thing? Well, leaving behind the conspiracy theories, the big truth is that what you do online can actually tell your needs and preferences. 

Using technology, Google cleverly uses what it knows about you to give you ads that you need. This explains why those ads feel like they arrived just in time. While this can be amazing for some of us, it can be equally creepy. 

To make things better, Google has introduced My Ad Center. It’s a tool you can use to control and manage the ads you see and how Google uses your information. Read on as I show you how you can use this tool to block certain ads or allow more personalized experiences.

What Is Google My Ad Center?

My Ad Center is a Google preferences tool for ads designed to give you more control over your ad experience. It aims at enhancing your privacy and security.

With this tool, you can customize your Google ad preferences and limit what is known about you. Here is what you can do:

  • Configure whether or not you want to see targeted ads.
  • Decide on the topics and brands that you’d want more or less advertised for you.
  • Control what data Google uses to tailor your personalized ad experience.

How Does Google Collect User Data?

Google gathers various types of information about users to effectively personalize ads and services. Here’s how they do it:

  • Location history. Google tracks your location data to understand your movements. For example, if you recently moved to a new house, they might infer that you may need new household items, so you start getting ads for that. 
  • Browsing history. Google analyzes your internet activity, such as the websites you visit and the articles you read. If you’ve been reading TV reviews, Google can guess that you might be interested in buying a new TV.
  • Gmail engagement. Google monitors your interactions with emails in Gmail, such as how often you open, reply, or delete messages, tailoring your experience based on these behaviors.
  • YouTube activity. On YouTube, Google tracks the videos you watch, like, comment on, and your subscriptions, helping to recommend content suited to your interests.
  • Cookies and IP address. To gather this data, Google uses cookies and your device’s IP address to track your interactions across various sites and apps, pinpoint your location, and know what you’re doing. This helps Google recommend content, display relevant ads, and improve its services to better align with your interests. The more data Google collects across its platforms, the more it can refine your experience, ensuring it stays tailored to your preferences.
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How Google’s Ad Transparency Affects Your Ad Experience

Google’s Ads Transparency Center is a simple tool designed to help you understand and control the ads you see. Like the name suggests, it’s Google’s commitment to ensuring ads are as transparent as possible.

With the Ads Transparency Center, you can find out specifically:

  • Which ads an advertiser has shown.
  • Which ads were shown in your area.
  • When an ad last ran and what type of ad it was.

For example, if you see an ad for shoes you want to buy but you don’t recognize the brand, you can visit the Ads Transparency Center to check the advertiser. You can search for the details of the advertiser on the website.

You can search for the details of the advertiser on the website.

When you search, Google will give you details about the advertiser, such as whether the advertiser is verified. This means the person behind the ad is registered with Google and can be trusted.

When you search, Google will give you details about the advertiser, such as whether the advertiser is verified

If you think the ad breaks any rules, for example, maybe it is offensive, you could report it.

If you think the ad breaks any rules, for example, maybe it is offensive, you could report it

How to Access My Ad Center

  • Sign in to My Ad Center on your browser.
  • Google will immediately ask you to log in with your Google account or register. Follow the prompts to log in (if you already have an account) or create a new one.
Sign in to My Ad Center on your browser
  • The Google Ad Center dashboard will open, allowing you to configure your Google ad preferences.
The Google Ad Center dashboard will open, allowing you to configure your Google ad preferences

The process is the same whether you’re on a PC or a smartphone.

How to View and Understand Your Ad Preferences

  • Open My Ad Center and make sure the Personalized apps section is switched to On.
Open My Ad Center and make sure the Personalized apps section is switched to On
  • Below you’ll see your recent ad topics, ad brands, and ads. They are supposed to reflect your up-to-date interests and preferences.
Below you’ll see your recent ad topics, ad brands, and ads
  • For a better view, you can click on See all to get an overview of all the ad topics and brands.
For a better view, you can click on See all to get an overview of all the ad topics and brands

Google builds this profile to reflect your preferences. For example, if you frequently search for fitness tips or watch workout videos, Google will categorize you under “Health and fitness.” This profile is used to show you ads related to health and fitness.

Your ad preferences are not static. Google continuously updates them based on your ongoing activities, making sure that the ads you see are relevant and aligned with your current interests. If you start exploring a new hobby or travel destination, Google ad personalization will adjust your profile to reflect those changes.

How to Clear and Reset Ad Preferences

Wondering how to reset ad preferences to start with a clean slate? Doing so is pretty straightforward and involves the following steps:

  • Go to My Ad Center and click Manage Privacy.
Go to My Ad Center and click Manage Privacy
  • Scroll down until you see the Review your preferences from My Ad Center in My Activity option. Click on the My Activity link. You’ll be taken to the My Ad Center preferences page in My Activity.
Scroll down until you see the Review your preferences from My Ad Center in My Activity option. Click on the My Activity link
  • From the left pane, click on Delete All.
From the left pane, click on Delete All
  • You’ll be asked whether you want to delete your My Ad Center preferences activity. Click Delete. New Google ad preferences will be generated based on your future online activity.
You’ll be asked whether you want to delete your My Ad Center preferences activity. Click Delete. New Google ad preferences will be generated based on your future online activity

How to Customize Ads in My Ad Center

With the help of My Ad Center, Google lets you customize your ad experience. If you want to change your Google ad preferences, follow the instructions below:

  • Open My Ad Center and navigate to the Customize Ads tab in the left-pane menu.
Open My Ad Center and navigate to the Customize Ads tab in the left-pane menu
  • On the Topics tab, decide on the topics you’d like to see more or fewer ads about using the plus and minus icons on specific tiles.
On the Topics tab, decide on the topics you’d like to see more or fewer ads about using the plus and minus icons on specific tiles
  • With the Brands tab, you can choose to see more or less of certain brands using the same plus or minus signs.
With the Brands tab, you can choose to see more or less of certain brands using the same plus or minus signs
  • The Sensitive tab lets you limit ad content related to topics like dating, gambling, pregnancy and parenting, and weight loss. If you don’t want to see ads related to any of these, you can toggle them off.
The Sensitive tab lets you limit ad content related to topics like dating, gambling, pregnancy and parenting, and weight loss

How to Manage Your Privacy Using My Ad Center in Google

Go to My Ad Center and navigate to the Manage Privacy tab. Here, you can manage your Google account info, control ad categories, and specify what activity can be tracked to personalize ads.

Go to My Ad Center and navigate to the Manage Privacy tab

How to change the categories used to show ads 

The Categories section in My Ad Center shows details about you that Google has guessed or cannot properly guess. Every detail under the categories section determines the ads you see. For example, if your relationship is set to single and you are young, Google might send you dating app ads. 

Similarly, if you are married and a bit older, say 29-35 years old, Google might suggest parenting tips. 

However, in some cases, the information in the Categories section is not always factual. Google does a good job of guessing, but it sometimes may not have enough information to guess correctly. 

So, for example, if you want to get better ad suggestions from Google regarding relationships, you can give it the right information. 

To do that, click on the category you want and supply the right information.

To do that, click on the category you want and supply the right information

If you don’t want Google to make suggestions based on this category, you can simply turn it off in the Google Ad Center.

If you don’t want Google to make suggestions based on this category, you can simply turn it off in the Google Ad Center

How to change the activities tracked by Google

The tab that reads Activity used to personalize ads is where Google lists how it tracks your interactions, including search history, location data, and YouTube activity. For more privacy, you can visit this section to see and change what data is used to generate your Google personalized ads:

The tab that reads Activity used to personalize ads is where Google lists how it tracks your interactions, including search history, location data, and YouTube activity

If you’re not comfortable with any of them, click it and toggle it off.

If you’re not comfortable with any of them, click it and toggle it off

How to Disable Personalized Ads in My Ad Center

If you’re like most users who are concerned about personal data collection, you may not want your online activities tracked for advertising purposes. You can easily disable Google personalized ads if you’re not comfortable. Here’s how: 

  • Open My Ad Center. Go to the top-right corner of the page and click on the On button beside Personalized ads.
Open My Ad Center. Go to the top-right corner of the page and click on the On button beside Personalized ads
  • A pop-up window will appear. Click on Turn off to disable the feature.
Click on Turn off to disable the feature

Doing this will turn off personalized ads on all your devices where you have signed in with your Google account.

You’ll still see Google ads. The only difference is that the ads you get now will be random, and you may not find them useful or tailored to your interests or activity.

You can turn personalized ads back on anytime by returning to My Ad Center in Google.

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Limitations of My Ad Center and What You Can Do

While My Ad Center allows you a level of control over how your data is used, it still has a few limitations that might be concerning for some people. Some of these concerns include:

  • You can’t block contextual ads: Even if you turn off personalized ads, you’ll still get contextual ads. These ads are usually based on the content of the web page or content you’re currently viewing. For example, if you search for Nike shoes, you might still see ads for Nike. Some possible workarounds for this include:
    • Browse in private mode: Use incognito or private browsing modes to limit the data websites can collect about your activity.
    • Clear cookies and cache: Regularly clear your browser’s cookies and cache to reset contextual ad targeting.
    • Use privacy-focused browsers: Switch from Chrome to browsers like Arc Browser or Brave that prioritize user privacy and minimize ad tracking.
    • Ad-blocking extensions: If you want to stop receiving Google ads entirely, you may need to get ad-blocking extensions, such as Adblock Plus and AdGuard AdBlocker, to prevent ads from appearing on websites. While this might work on most websites, it might not affect Google ads shown in Google’s own services like YouTube.
    • Go premium: A better alternative might be to get premium plans. Some Google services, like YouTube, offer ad-free experiences through subscriptions such as YouTube Premium.
If you enable personalized ads, you’ll get a mix of contextual and personalized ads. This means you might see an ad for a hiking gear store because you’ve searched for hiking trails while reading an article about outdoor activities.
  • You can’t stop Google from tracking you: Stopping Google from tracking you is a complicated process, and you can’t achieve it by simply turning off tracking in My Ad Center. Disabling settings across all of Google’s services, like maps, Gmail, YouTube, etc., might work. But a better way is to use a VPN to mask your IP address when you go online. 
  • My Ad Center can’t block ads entirely: You’ll need an ad blocker or register for a premium plan to do this. 
  • You can’t stop sensitive topics entirely: Even though there are options to turn off sensitive topics in My Ad Center in Google, you may still get those ads.The only difference is you won’t get them as frequently as before.  

If you don’t like the sensitive ads, you could:

  • Refine your ad settings regularly: Periodically review and update your ad settings in Google’s My Ad Center to ensure sensitive topics are turned off.
  • Report specific ads: Use the Report Ad feature whenever an ad on a sensitive topic appears. This will help Google’s system improve its filtering algorithm.
  • Write a feedback to Google: Provide constructive feedback through Google’s support channels. Explain the issue and advocate for better control over sensitive topics.
According to Google, sensitive ads in this context are the topics people might find uncomfortable or inappropriate, such as alcohol, gambling, dating, weight loss, and pregnancy and parenting.
  • Ad customization limits: Customizing your ad preferences doesn’t lower the total number of ads you encounter. It only affects the type of ads you see, aligning them with your selected interests.
  • Data usage outside Google’s ecosystem: When you disable personalized ads, Google stops using your activity or account information for Google ad personalization within its ecosystem. However, ads shown on third-party sites using Google ads (e.g., blogs, news, or e-commerce sites) may still appear but won’t be tailored to your Google account activity. If this becomes an issue, the following are some solutions that might help:
    • Opt out of ad personalization across platforms: Use tools like the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (DAA) WebChoices or AppChoices to manage your ad preferences across multiple platforms.
    • Restrict third-party cookies: Configure your browser to block third-party cookies, which are a common method of tracking user activity for ads.
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Take Control of Ad Experience with My Ad Center

With the creation of My Ad Center, it seems Google is taking a huge step to give its users a sense of control over their privacy. If you want ads that match your interests better, using My Ad Center is a helpful option to tailor your ads.

However, sharing your Google preferences might also increase how closely you’re tracked. This could result in ads that feel too personal or intrusive. If you want to stop this, you could switch off data collection across all Google platforms. Alternatively, you could consider using a VPN, browsing incognito, or browsing as a guest.

We would love to hear from you. Did you find this article helpful? And if you know a few tricks or tips we missed, kidly tell us in the comments!

FAQ

Where is My Ad Center in Chrome?
You can access My Ad Center directly from your browser. Open Chrome and go to My Ad Center or type it into the address bar and hit Enter. Alternatively, click your Google account profile picture in the top-right corner, select Manage your Google Account, and navigate to the Data & privacy tab to find My Ad Center.
How do I find my Google Ads Settings page?
To locate your Google Ads Settings page, visit adssettings.google.com and sign in to your Google account if prompted. From there, you can manage Google ad personalization and review your preferences for ads displayed across Google services and partner sites.
How do I stop ads on Chrome?
While you can’t completely stop ads on Chrome, you can reduce or block many of them. Use an ad-blocking extension like AdBlock, which you can install from the Chrome Web Store. Additionally, block pop-ups by going to Chrome Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects. Lastly, disable personalized ads by adjusting your preferences via My Ad Center.
Can I manage ad settings for all Google services through My Ad Center?
Yes, My Ad Center on Google enables you to manage ad personalization and preferences across all Google services linked to your account. You can enable or disable Google ad personalization, block or report specific advertisers, and ensure that preferences updated here apply across all your devices.
Can I delete my entire ad history permanently?
Yes, you can delete your ad history permanently through My Ad Center. By removing your activity, Google stops using it to personalize ads. However, deleting your history doesn’t stop Google from collecting data in real time based on your future activities unless you adjust broader privacy settings.
What happens to my data after I reset my preferences?
When you reset your Google preferences, your past activity and saved preferences for ad personalization are cleared. Google will no longer use this data to tailor ads specifically to you. However, contextual ads and ads from third-party sites using Google Ads may still appear, albeit without relying on your personalized data.
How does My Ad Center compare to third-party ad blockers?
While My Ad Center allows you to manage and customize the ads you see within Google’s ecosystem, it doesn’t block ads entirely. In contrast, third-party ad blockers like browser extensions or privacy-focused software can prevent most ads from showing altogether and offer enhanced privacy by reducing tracking across the web. However, ad blockers might disrupt the functionality of some websites or violate their terms of service, whereas My Ad Center works within Google’s framework.