Go ahead: Not using Google apps and services doesn’t stop Google from tracking you and creating a profile. Or, put another way, the only way for Google not to collect private data from your online activity is to use a network that masks your traffic, put Tor for example; not identify yourself in services and, in short, go through the Internet like the ghost that passes through a cemetery at midnight.
There are people who act like this, but the experience is not worth it. Enjoying the Internet without Google knowing that you exist is complicated and has many drawbacks , so it is more comfortable to let yourself go or, without reaching that, try to find a balance in which privacy is respected even a little. Above all, if you are a Google user, something that has drawbacks, yes, but also a large number of advantages that it is not necessary to list.
In short, Google is not called the Internet giant by chance and since it is most likely that in one way or another, you are a user of it, the company offers you a couple of tools so that you can manage personalized ads and, of course, therefore, the data collection that entails. However, it is also possible to completely disable this feature and, again, the data collection that goes with it.
How to disable personalized ads from Google
There is a novelty in this regard and it is the recent launch of My ad center , a new section in the preferences of the Google account that until now only allowed you to configure a couple of parameters, including the total deactivation of personalized ads, but which From now on it allows much more and it can also be of interest to the user who does not mind being tracked and who prefers to see ads related to their interests.
My Ads Center allows for deep user configuration that includes options to choose which topics and brands you are interested in and prefer to see ads on, or the opposite, which ones you find sensitive and don’t want to run into. By default, these sensitive topics such as alcoholic beverages, dating, pregnancy and parenting, gambling and betting, and weight loss are allowed, but can be disabled.
In addition, with this new method you will be able, as indicated by Google itself, to eliminate certain topics and/or brands for which you are no longer interested in receiving ads, such as when you have been planning a vacation or a purchase to which you have dedicated searches, read articles or video viewings. Why do you want to keep seeing ads for something you already bought or did? Google is also not in the business of not showing you useless advertising and that’s where my ad center comes from.
In this practical article, however, we focus on the deactivation of personalized Google ads and the truth is that it is a really simple change, because it consists of a couple of clicks. From the PC browser, identify yourself with your Google account and enter:
- https://myadcenter.google.com
At the very top you will see the personalized ads option and it is most likely turned on, since that is the default behavior for all Google accounts. All you have to do is disable it.
Then go to this other address and do the same with the ” personalized ads on sites and apps that collaborate with Google “:
- https://adssettings.google.com/partnerads?hl=es
It is done. You have already deactivated the personalized ads that Google shows you and the data collection that goes with it. Remember, of course, that Google will continue to show you ads wherever it can and that many times they will continue to have a lot to do with your online activity, whether or not you have deactivated the indicated options. But, at least, you will have done everything you could with the tools that Google puts at your disposal. If you start to scrutinize the amount of data of all kinds that Google collects…
