Privacy

Google had added controls to help you choose the types of advertisements you see around the web. If you choose to activate these features, you allow Google to use all of the information gathered about you (from computers and devices you use with your Google Account) to tailor the ads you see on Google and around the web. If you do not mind having your information collected for targeted ads, opting into the new features gives you more control over what you do see.

The types of ads that will appear for you can be controlled by going to your account’s ad preferences page, which you can get to by clicking your account profile photo on the Google page, clicking My Account, signing in and then clicking Ads Settings. If none of these “new features” appeal to you, it is not mandatory to opt into them.

Google had added controls to help you choose the types of advertisements you see around the web. If you choose to activate these features, you allow Google to use all of the information gathered about you (from computers and devices you use with your Google Account) to tailor the ads you see on Google and around the web. If you do not mind having your information collected for targeted ads, opting into the new features gives you more control over what you do see.

The types of ads that will appear for you can be controlled by going to your account’s ad preferences page, which you can get to by clicking your account profile photo on the Google page, clicking My Account, signing in and then clicking Ads Settings. If none of these “new features” appeal to you, it is not mandatory to opt into them.

You’ve had all the conversations about online safety, keeping personal information private, and basic digital citizenship with your children, but if they have broken your trust or you just feel like something is amiss, it might be necessary to monitor their online activity. Common Sense Media has provided a guide to some tools that can help. Keep in mind that downright spying on your kids has the potential to backfire- kids are very adept at getting around any kind of tracking, but if you just want to limit access to certain kinds of content, monitor activity on their phones, or make sure they are not being bullied or sexting, these apps can help.

You’ve had all the conversations about online safety, keeping personal information private, and basic digital citizenship with your children, but if they have broken your trust or you just feel like something is amiss, it might be necessary to monitor their online activity. Common Sense Media has provided a guide to some tools that can help. Keep in mind that downright spying on your kids has the potential to backfire- kids are very adept at getting around any kind of tracking, but if you just want to limit access to certain kinds of content, monitor activity on their phones, or make sure they are not being bullied or sexting, these apps can help.

Before you sit down to talk about social media with your kids, you need to make sure you are up on all the latest apps. Need a summary of what to look out for? Check out Common Sense Media’s article Social Media Apps Parents Should Know About.

Before you sit down to talk about social media with your kids, you need to make sure you are up on all the latest apps. Need a summary of what to look out for? Check out Common Sense Media’s article Social Media Apps Parents Should Know About.

Did you know that, by default, Google keeps a detailed history of your activity on its search engine and other services when you are logged in to your Google Account? If Google has access to your device’s location settings for mapping and search suggestions it will even store your location history and display it on a map.

Part of this data-hoarding is to make Google’s predictive services more accurate by tailoring suggestions (and advertisements) to your known interests and location. Some people like having relevant material (including ads) tailored to them, but if the information collection creeps you out, you can change your Google Activity controls to clear out the stored information from your account. The company says it may still keep the data for its own purposes, but stored anonymously.

To change your Google Activity settings, go to https://www.google.com/settings/accounthistory when you are logged in to your Google Account and make adjustments as you see fit. You can delete your search and browsing history from the site, information from your mobile devices (like contacts and calendar events that use Google apps), your voice-search recordings, your location history, and your searches and viewing activity on YouTube.

Facebook is now tracking which stores you visit so the giant social network can show marketers that its online ads result in offline purchases. With data tracking ads, businesses that advertise on Facebook can include an interactive map detailing the locations of their stores. The Facebook users' phones are then used to track (by GPS, beacons, WiFi, radio signals, and cell towers) how many of those who saw the ad wound up visiting the store. Facebook is also working on tying in-store purchases to their ads through tracking.

How can you protect your privacy? While Facebook will not report specific information such as the ad you saw on your friend’s Facebook page was the thing that brought you into the store where you purchased a yellow polka dot bikini, there is no way to opt out. Facebook does not identify individual information, and the information they collect is all anonymous and aggregated – or so they say officially. All you can do is hide particular ads you see in your feed, or turn off location services for Facebook entirely, though doing so may degrade other Facebook functions.

Facebook is now tracking which stores you visit so the giant social network can show marketers that its online ads result in offline purchases. With data tracking ads, businesses that advertise on Facebook can include an interactive map detailing the locations of their stores. The Facebook users' phones are then used to track (by GPS, beacons, WiFi, radio signals, and cell towers) how many of those who saw the ad wound up visiting the store. Facebook is also working on tying in-store purchases to their ads through tracking.

How can you protect your privacy? While Facebook will not report specific information such as the ad you saw on your friend’s Facebook page was the thing that brought you into the store where you purchased a yellow polka dot bikini, there is no way to opt out. Facebook does not identify individual information, and the information they collect is all anonymous and aggregated – or so they say officially. All you can do is hide particular ads you see in your feed, or turn off location services for Facebook entirely, though doing so may degrade other Facebook functions.