Google yesterday announced a new extension for its Chrome browser called Keep My Opt Outs that enables users “a simple way to opt out of personalized advertising.” Google joins Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer who’ve already announced “do not track” capability.
The US Federal Trade Commission recently called on industry to develop “do not track” solutions. Google claims its solution is better than others because it’s more permanent. In other cookie-based solutions, your opt-out preferences get erased when you clear your cookies. But with Google’s Keep My Opt Outs solution, your opt-out preferences survive cookie clearing and gives you a lasting solution.
Google strives to strike a balance between giving users control and the needs of website publishers to make money through advertising saying, “This new feature gives you significant control without compromising the revenue that fuels the web content that we all consume every day.”
Google’s approach has industry support out of the gate. According to DM News, “Mike Zaneis, SVP and general counsel at the Interactive Advertising Bureau, said Google’s technology will be more effective than Mozilla’s because it’s industry supported and more practical.”