Alphabet have revealed that users will now be able to limit some of the ads that they see when browsing any of their services, such as Google and YouTube.
Advertisements ranging from alcohol and gambling will now be able to be limited as much as possible via the new feature, which may come as welcomed news to those that wish to avoid seeing them for whatever reason they may have.
Indeed, users in New Jersey may have started to see more gambling based ads when exploring the internet as sports betting within the state had seen a huge amount of growth in the last two years because of the changes to legislation. As bettors can now legally get in on the action without having to go to another state such as Nevada, sports betting in New Jersey has become incredibly popular.
Another state that has undergone the same change recently and allows for legal sports betting is Tennessee, therefore it would not be a surprise if internet users in the state are to start seeing more promotional adverts appear in the near future. However, sports betting is not a new phenomena in America as many of the US states have made it legal in recent years.
It must be said that this is not a new feature by Google, although it is something that has since improved. The organisation have always allowed for specific ads to be hidden – which may have been handy for users that have been exploring the web for a surprise present for a partner over Christmas – however this update to the feature will allow for ads of a particular category to be restricted as much as possible. The changes will also allow users to have more control over what they see, which again, may be more welcomed.
The feature works in two ways, thus allowing for a fully customisable and tailored experience. For instance, if a user wants to eliminate alcohol based ads for various reasons but they are happy to see things related to gambling and sports betting, then they can continue to allow them to appear as frequently as possible. All users need to do is to head to the ‘Ad Settings’ page and they will be able to customise their preferences from there.
It should be noted that the feature will not completely cancel out any of the ads that wish to be existed, as some may still appear but in a limited fashion, rather than being bombarded by them.
Google have revealed that the feature will be introduced slowly and will only begin on their YouTube platform for US viewers but they aim to be able to introduce it for all of their Google Ads and YouTube services globally by early 2021.
It could be a feature that is welcomed by many for different reasons, including those sports bettors in places like New Jersey and Tennessee that have only just been able to get involved with the activity legally in their own state!
