Yahoo! launched our Ad Interest Manager almost exactly a year ago. This tool lets you opt out of interest-based advertising that Yahoo! delivers to you with one simple click but also lets you see the categories of interests we have associated with your browser. From Ad Interest Manager you can edit interest categories one by one, or easily opt out of all.
This level of transparency and control is designed to empower you with greater access than ever before to information you can use to make informed decisions about how your data is used. Yahoo! supports industry efforts to adopt a single icon, served with all ads, to allow consumers to easily access our Ad Interest Manager and opt-out choices. If you look at many of the ad placements on Yahoo! today you’ll already see icons that allow you to easily access your opt-out choices. We’re in the process of transitioning to the industry icon in the coming weeks so you’ll see a consistent icon wherever interest-based ads are served. This icon has been embraced by TRUSTe, Better Advertising and a number of leading trade associations like the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), Interactive Advertising Bureau, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers and the Direct Marketing Association.
We applaud the efforts led by for-profit organizations like TRUSTe and Better Advertising to bring all companies into the fold and, in particular, companies that do data mining and analysis that may not have a direct consumer presence or brand. The NAI as an industry association has also done a tremendous job of bringing new members to their ranks to ensure that a standard privacy framework exists to ensure that consumers have meaningful choice about whether they receive interest-based ads or not. The more companies that participate in these programs, the better off consumers will be.
Our collective challenge going forward is to ensure cooperation and collaboration across these various efforts so that consumers will know what to expect and how to participate in a way that’s simple and consistent. We are committed to that goal.
Anne Toth
Chief Trust Officer
