Skip to main content

AOL To Let Users Block Targeted Ads

AOL To Let Users Block Targeted Ads

Even as consumer groups petition the federal government for the creation of a “Do Not Track” list which would enable Internet users to choose not to have their Web usage and online activities monitored so advertising networks can serve up “more relevant” targeted advertising, online giant AOL has announced it will offer ways for Internet users to opt-out of targeted Web advertising from its services. The service will be built on opt-out technology AOL acquired with online advertising firm Tacoda, which can remember a user’s choice to opt-out of targeted advertising even if they lose or delete their “opt-out cookie.”

AOL will run “millions” of banner ads informing Web users about the program; by the end of 2007, AOL anticipated the information ads will extend across AOL’s entire display ad program, while the company claims reaches more than 91 percent of U.S. online consumers on a range of over 7,000 Web sites. The ads will tell consumers how to block targeted advertising from AOL’s ad networks.

AOL controls Advertising.com, as well as Tacoda’s third-party advertising networks.

“Our goal with this program is to engender greater trust for targeted advertising by communicating with consumers in a more visible way, and by providing them more information about their choices,” said Curt Viebranz, President of Platform-A. “AOL believes that doing more to explain to users the choices they have over the way their data is used, and helping them exercise those preferences will help them feel more in control.”

AOL will be “presenting its views” on targeted advertising at the Federal Trade Commission’s “Ehavioral Advertising” town hall event.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Why Windows users will never let Microsoft kill their beloved MS Paint
why people still love ms paint windows 95 feat

Anyone who has ever tried to remove dried paint from a carpet knows that, once established, getting rid of it is more than a little tough. That’s a lesson Microsoft is currently learning -- only instead of physical pigment and carpets, the removal process it’s trying to facilitate is stripping its simple raster graphics editor, MS Paint, from Windows. And Microsoft isn't having a whole lot of luck doing it.

MS Paint is, by any computing metric, a relic here in 2019. A version of the software first shipped in late 1985, the year President Reagan had his historic first meeting with Soviet Leader Gorbachev, Nintendo released the NES games console, and the first .com address was registered. Since then, varying iterations of Paint (formerly Paintbrush) have been bundled with every version of Windows. That means that, at some point, this innocuous program has been installed on billions of computers around the world.

Read more
PC airflow guide: How to position your fans for best cooling
Exhaust fan in PC case.

Fan placement is an important component in your system's cooling. The quantity, positioning, and orientation of fans affects overall system performance, noise levels, and how often you need to clean your whole system out. Although you aren't going to see a dramatic difference in your PC's performance from adding one more fan, or making sure they're pushing instead of pulling (or vice versa), it's still useful to optimize this part of your PC's cooling to get the best experience for you, the PC user.

So, whether you're looking to boost your system's cooling to improve your overclock, or want to keep your fan speeds as low as possible without overheating, here's a guide to PC airflow, as well as some suggestions on fan placement and position that you might find useful.
Get the basics down

Read more
Why you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air
The 14-inch MacBook Pro on a window sill.

There are plenty of reasons to buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro. If you want a MacBook on a budget, you don't necessarily need the goodies that come with upgrading to the MacBook Pro.

That being said, I'm going to argue for spending a little more. In my experience, the MacBook Pro offers several distinct advantages that help justify a higher price, especially with the introduction of the more affordable MacBook Pro 14 with the base M3. If you can stretch your budget a bit, here's why I think you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air.
Setting the stage: pricing

Read more