One click to opt out of Google Ads by Kim Komando

Of all the things you have and consider your and yours alone, your name and your face probably rank pretty close to the top of your list. So how is it that Google can take your name and face for advertising, usually without you even knowing? Lots of folks I've shared this with have been very surprised, so follow along and I'll explain how it works and how you can stop it.

Google changes its privacy policy and terms of service quite often. Sometimes there are minor changes, while other times there are big changes that can significantly impact your online life. Back in October 2013, the search giant changed its policy to allow itself permission to use your name and photo in ads, or Shared Endorsements, as it calls them.

Shared Endorsements work like this: Let's say you are searching Google for a restaurant. Within the search results, you will see a friend's photo with 5 stars next to it along with some comments.
The Shared Endorsement looks like this:

 Of course this is going to catch your attention. After all, there's a picture of your friend right in the search results, sharing his opinion with you. You like your friend. You trust your friend. Heck, with his recommendation, your dinner plans are done! Well that's exactly why Google does this.

Why does this happen? Your friend might have clicked on the +1 button for that particular product. Maybe she gave a restaurant a good rating with Google Maps. In either case, Google can feature her in this Shared Endorsement. It works the same way in the Music store, too.

While Google can only use the name and picture the user made public, and it only shows Shared Endorsements to the user's friends, many people still don't like it. I'm one of them because something like this happened to me, but on Facebook. Let me tell you, the whole ordeal was no fun.

So why would Google follow suit? Could it be time to ditch Google services? Well, it is possible, but it's not easy.

Fortunately, there's a better solution. I found a simple opt-out option you can use to keep your face out of Google advertising.

To opt out of Google's Shared Endorsements, just visit its Shared Endorsements page and sign in to your Google account.

When you sign in, you'll land on this page. Scroll to the bottom and look for the option labeled "Based upon my activity, Google may show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads."

Next to the word "Based" is a check box. To ensure Google doesn't use your name and face in advertising,  just make sure this box is NOT checked.

Then click the Save button. Yes, it's that easy.

Posted in: Safety,Social Media