How To: Disable Googles Ad Personalization tracking

You're browsing a web page and suddenly on the right side an ad appears for razors. And yet, you just picked on a pack at the store a few days ago. 

True.... you were looking at ordering online at Harrys and Dollar Shave Club but decided on buying a pack locally.

But why are you seeing an advertisement on what you were looking at a few days ago? Is Google reading your mind?

It's called 'Ad Tracking' and, long story short, Google keeps track of your browsing habits very closely.
And this is all for marketing purposes. 

Don't want Google snooping into your browsing habits? Here's how you can disable it. All it takes is one click of the mouse and 'Ad Tracking' is disabled.

1. On your browser log into your Google account if your not already logged in.

2. In the address bar type in https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated

(Note: if you click 'More Options', you'll get a check box allowing Google to use your browsing activity to personalize ads on websites. It's easier just to turn off Ad Personalization altogether)

3. Click the switch to turn off Ad Personalization.

When you turn off Ad Personalization, you'll get a pop-up window essentially asking if you're sure you really want to do this?

Click 'Turn Off'


And that's it. 

Turning off Ad Personalization gives a certain level of privacy knowing that Google isn't keeping track of your browsing activities. 

The Billion Dollar Business Of Data Collection - Part II - Securing and/or Removing Access to Your Data

This is Part 2 of a 2 part article 

Part I here

Privacy
We all value our privacy and for obvious reasons we're not going to post our bank account, address and social security numbers on the internet. 

However, you may be surprised or maybe even shocked on just how much information about you can be found on the internet. 

Just drop your name on 'Thatsthem.com', 'Spokeo.com' or any other 'People Search" websites and you'll find information about yourself likely you'd rather not have public. 

A common thought is that once it's on the internet it's out there forever. 
But to a certain extent you can delete some of that information, or at least have it not available to the public. 

Limit your information on social websites
Social websites should be the first to limit your info. When applying for a job, often employers will drop in on Facebook or Twitter to determine just really who they could be hiring. 

Having a social account is one thing, but posting on Facebook about Fridays party with a picture of your best friend next to the toilet is another. 
Better yet, select and edit your privacy settings within Facebook..... choose WHO YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR POSTS. 
Check out the Facebook Privacy settings here. 
Facebook Privacy Settings

Twitter has a basically on/off approach when it comes to privacy and 'Tweets' 
Either the 'tweets' you post can be public or private. 
Twitter Privacy

Under the Safety section within Twitter settings, you have the option to prevent your tweets appearing in the search results of those you have blocked on the microblogging platform.

Google 
Make sure you visit your Google Account page, where there are a number of settings that can boost your privacy, reduce data collection, or remove you altogether from the searches. Privacy checkup: 

The Google Privacy checkup allows users to prevent Google from saving your searches and other Google activity to your Google Account, as well as turn off your location history. 

You can also choose to disallow Google from saving YouTube search & watch history and a record of videos you have watched, your contacts, device information, voice and audio activity including recordings harvested from interaction with Google Assistant, and other data. 


'Opt Out' from data collection firms
One of the more permanent actions to take to have a third party service remove your data from data collection sites. Two such services are Onerep.com and Deleteme.com.
Both services will conduct 'Opt Outs' for data collection firms. It's a tedious and time consuming but worth it when it involves your privacy.

Remove personal information from websites
If someone's posted sensitive information of yours such as a Social Security number or a bank account number and the webmaster of the site where it was posted won't remove it, you can send a legal request to Google to have it removed.

Google Data Removal Request

Depending on what kind of information/data we have of ourselves out there on the net we have to take certain steps to restrict, completely remove access, or totally delete that information.

Tech News: The Billion Dollar Business Of Data Collection - Part I

This is Part 1 of a 2 part article

Information is valuable....Personal data is worth billions.

Nearly every moment of our lives, we’re producing data about ourselves that companies profit from. Billions worth.

Personal data is often compared to oil—it powers today’s most profitable corporations, just like fossil fuels energized those of the past. But the consumers it’s extracted from often know little about how much of their information is collected, who gets to look at it, and what it’s worth. 
Every day, hundreds of companies you may not even know exist, gather facts about you, some more intimate than others. That information may then flow to academic researchers, hackers, law enforcement, and foreign nations—as well as plenty of companies trying to sell you stuff.

How is our data collected?
Our smartwatches know when we wake up, 
Alexa and Android Assistant listens to our conversations, our phones track where we go, Google knows what we email and search, Facebook knows what we share with friends, and our loyalty cards remember what we buy. 
We share all this data about ourselves because we like the services these companies provide, and business leaders tell us we must to make it possible for those services to be cheap or free.

In 2018 the nonprofit news organization ProPublica conducted an investigation on how medical devices obtain data. This data includes heart rates, sleep patterns, the number of steps taken in a day — and patients have been shocked at the ways that information is being used.


According to the investigation, the data that’s constantly collected by step counters, blood glucose monitors, medication alerts and trackers, in-home cameras, heart monitors and CPAP breathing machines is being packaged and sold for advertising, anonymized and used by IT companies, and even shared with health insurers, who can use it to deny reimbursement.

Facebook’s business has relied on the trade of data for free service since they started it in a dorm room nearly 15 years ago, but due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, only recently it's has shown users about just how this works.

As a typical CEO, Mark Zuckerberg describes this as a win-win – people stay in touch with friends and family more often through a free service, and businesses can more efficiently spend marketing dollars to fuel corporate profits, making Facebook free to all.

But one party has benefited a lot more than anyone else: Facebook shareholders. 

Despite all the recent controversy, Facebook is still valued at nearly $500bn.

What Constitutes "Personal Data"?
“Personal data” is a pretty vague umbrella term, and it helps to unpack exactly what it means. Health records, social security numbers, and banking details make up the most sensitive information stored online. 
Social media posts, location data, and search-engine queries may also be revealing but are also typically monetized in a way that, say, your credit card number is not. Other kinds of data collection fall into separate categories—ones that may surprise you. Did you know some companies are analyzing the unique way you tap and fumble with your smartphone?


All this information is collected on a wide spectrum of consent: Sometimes the data is forked over knowingly, while in other scenarios users might not understand they’re giving up anything at all.

Who Buys, Sells, and Barters My Personal Data?

The trade-off between the data you give and the services you get, may or may not be worth it, but another breed of business amasses, analyzes, and sells your information without giving you anything at all: data brokers.

These firms compile info from publicly available sources like property records, marriage licenses, and court cases.

They may also gather your medical records, browsing history, social media connections, and online purchases. Depending on where you live, data brokers might even purchase your information from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Don’t have a driver’s license? Retail stores sell info to data brokers, too.

In part 2 we'll read what choices you (the consumer) have and what you can do about it.