Now that the handling of personal information has become stricter, privacy protection is a topic of worldwide concern.
Google has announced the introduction of “About this ad” as a new digital ad display feature. The purpose is to improve the user experience, and we plan to start using it with Google Ads and then expand it to other ad displays.
In this article, we will introduce Google’s new digital advertising display, “About this ad,” while referring to Google’s approach to privacy protection and its future approach.
Google’s approach to privacy protection
With growing interest in how user data is handled online, Google’s goal is to create an Internet world where people around the world can be confident in their privacy and access digital advertising with peace of mind. To do this, digital advertising needs to be more transparent and easier to control how user data is used. We also believe it is important to provide users with choices regarding the use of their data so that their own intentions when accessing digital advertisements are respected.
Measures to improve privacy in digital advertising generally focus on the web. However, people come into contact with digital advertising in a variety of environments, and it is not limited to the web.
Google’s vision is to “improve privacy while preserving access to free content.” This vision is consistent across user environments, including the web, mobile apps, internet TV, and digital audio, and aims to improve privacy in all environments.
What is the new digital advertising display “About this ad”?
Google has announced the introduction of “About this ad” as a new digital ad display feature.
“About this ad” is a new feature that discloses to users the full name of advertisers verified by Google. This feature makes it easier for users to understand advertiser information, giving them more control over how their data is used. We also aim to improve the user experience by making digital advertising more transparent with new ad displays.
Google’s long-standing feature, “Why this ad,” is a feature that allows users to disclose information about some of the factors that led to their digital ads being chosen, as well as opt out of seeing them. Users can check ad details and stop displaying ads if necessary.
According to Google, “Why this ad” is used by over 15 million people every day. More recently, this functionality has been extended to Internet TV advertising as well.
The new digital ad display feature “About this ad” will make the traditional “Why this ad” even more transparent. Initially, the service will begin with display ads purchased through Google Ads and Display & Video 360 (*), with plans to expand to other ad displays in 2021.
(*) Display ad distribution platform provided by Google
We will continue to explore ways to improve privacy.
Efforts to increase the transparency of digital advertising and give users control over their own decisions, such as the new feature “About this ad,” are not limited to the ads displayed on Google.
Google plans to release a tool called Ads Transparency Spotlight to provide detailed information about all the ads on the web. Because there are so many different players involved in the digital advertising ecosystem, it can sometimes be unclear to users which companies are involved in advertising.
In the future, we will improve the functionality based on user feedback and enhance information disclosure in advertisements. It is also hoped that similar features that provide greater transparency and control for users will be extended to technology providers other than Google.
Furthermore, Google stated that it will continue to take a strong stance against the use of opaque technology that can transfer and track users’ personal data, and against actions that track users and obtain information without their permission, from the perspective of improving privacy. I am.
summary
◆Google aims to create an Internet world where people around the world are confident in the protection of their privacy and can access digital advertising with peace of mind.
◆The new digital ad display “About this ad” is a function that discloses to users the official name of the advertiser confirmed by Google. This will make the traditional “Why this ad” even more transparent.
◆We are also planning to release a new tool called “Ads Transparency Spotlight” that will provide detailed information on all ads on the web, not just the ads displayed on Google. We hope to see more similar features in the future that provide greater transparency and control for users.