Google is expanding its sensitive ad category options, allowing users to limit the number of ads they see about dating, pregnancy, parenting and weight loss, and making those settings apply to more places. The feature was introduced as a way to allow people to see fewer ads on YouTube about potentially addictive gambling or alcoholic productsbut now it seems that Google is expanding it to cover other potentially uncomfortable or traumatic topics.
Your settings will now apply to the entire Google Display Network, not just YouTube ads, according to Elijah Lawal, a company spokesman. google says the network is “a group of more than 2 million websites, videos, and apps” where advertisers can target users.
To access the feature, go to your Ad Settings and scroll down to “YouTube Sensitive Ad Categories.” From there, you can click the “See Less” button next to the categories you prefer. The page will warn you that you will continue to see the same number of ads in general and ask you to confirm your choice. You can also “Allow” categories that you have previously limited in the past.
of Google support page for the sensitive ad categories feature Keep in mind that while it should show you fewer product ads in each category you’ve chosen to limit, topics can still appear in other ads. He gives the example of “an airline ad showing someone drinking a glass of champagne.” The company also notes that it “doesn’t allow advertisers to personalize ads based on certain topics, such as alcohol and gambling, but you may see ads on these topics based on related interests,” such as brewers. aimed at sports fans.
While gambling and drinking probably don’t feature much in ads to the general public, some of the newly added categories might be harder to avoid. A chewing gum ad can Introduce people in a relationship.or an advertisement for razors can raise the idea of fatherhood. Google’s support page implies that you can still see these types of ads even if you’ve asked to limit them; you just shouldn’t get ads from, say, a dating app or diapers (unless, of course, the video you’re watching). look has a patron spot for those baked things).
Even with those limitations, it’s good to see that Google is working to give people “more control over their ad experience,” as Karin Hennessy, a product manager for the company’s ad privacy group, put it in a statement sent by Google. email to The edge. It’s the kind of improvement that’s good for Google and its users; you can choose to see fewer potentially uncomfortable ads, and advertisers can better target a receptive audience.
Hennessy also said Google “will continue to listen to user feedback and look into which categories to expand this feature to in the future.”