Jan 25, 2011 09:08 GMT  ·  By
Google's Keep My Opt-Outs ensures that your targeted ad preferences are permanent
   Google's Keep My Opt-Outs ensures that your targeted ad preferences are permanent

As expected, Google revealed a Keep My Opt-Outs extension for Google Chrome which enables users to opt out of behavioral advertising from a number of advertising networks. The feature is an extension of existing opt-out features supported by those networks and is a result of the FTC's "Do Not Track" initiative.

Google already offers several ways of either blocking behavioral advertising or personalizing your interests on its own advertising network.

Some networks already offer opt-out methods

A number of other companies, under the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) banner, have worked to create a common opt-out method which, in theory, should enable users to block targeted ads and tracking on all networks.

In practice, the implementation suffers from a number of setbacks, technical or otherwise. The Keep My Opt-Outs extension addresses some of those, though it's not an ideal solution itself.

The solution suffers from technical setbacks

Currently, firms part of the NAI offer users the choice of opting out via an unified dashboard. Over 50 companies are part of NAI now and you can visit the dashboard to select any and all of the networks you want to opt out of.

However, as the EFF notes, this only blocks behavioral advertising, some networks still track your actions even if you opt-out. The new Chrome extension simplifies the process and it also makes it permanent.

Normally, opting out meant storing a cookie with your preferences, but if you clear cookies, or do a fresh browser install, or use another computer and so on, your choice isn't remembered.

Keep My Opt-Outs addresses some problems but is still not ideal

"Today we are [...] allowing you to permanently opt out of ad tracking from all companies that offer opt-outs through the industry self-regulation programs," Sean Harvey and Rajas Moonka, Product Managers at Google, write.

"Keep in mind that once you install the Keep My Opt-Outs extension, your experience of online ads may change: You may see the same ads repeatedly on particular websites, or see ads that are less relevant to you," they explain.

"Importantly, we’ve designed the extension so that it should not otherwise interfere with your web browsing experience or website functionality," they add.

The Keep My Opt-Outs extension ensures that your choice is applied to all networks part of NAI, all the new networks that may join in the future and also that it is saved even if you clear all your cookies.

The extension is released under open source and Google plans to support other browsers as well. The Mozilla Firefox add-on Beef TACO does pretty much the same thing, though it works for some networks not part of NAI as well.

Mozilla is working on a better, long-term solution

These extensions offer a practical solution for the time being, but it's not the optimal one. Mozilla has now proposed for implementation a built-in option which would include your targeted ad preference in the browser header sent to websites.

This implementation is the most elegant and possibly the most effective. The feature is still in the planning stages, but once built into the browser, it will enable users to opt-out of targeted ads and tracking via a browser setting.

Ad networks would choose to respect an user's preference, but this is entirely voluntary. However, the hope is that ad networks will choose to self-regulate to keep the government from doing it for them.

Mozilla's plans are the most effective in the long run and other browsers may choose to have a compatible implementation, effectively creating an industry standard. This, however, is still some time away.

Keep My Opt-Outs for Google Chrome is available for download here.