Most people use Google to do their internet searches and I’m sure that most of you know, or have heard, that Google does track your searches. This tracking is done to rank sites so the most popular and relevant web sites show up first when you do a search. It’s also done to target you for advertising. Have you ever noticed that when you are on a website with advertising that a lot of the advertising seems to be relevant to you? Two people on two different computers can go to the same website and get completely different advertisements showing up. These aren’t random – they are usually based on your past browsing experience.

To track your browsing Google places a “cookie” on your computer to keep track of your browsing habits. What I find interesting is who Google thinks I am. Google actually provides a synopsis of you that you can look up at any time by typing clicking on this link - http://www.google.com/ads/preferences

Here’s mine:

Your categories
Below you can review the interests and inferred demographics that Google has associated with your cookie. You can remove or edit these at any time.
Arts & Entertainment - Humor - Live Comedy
Arts & Entertainment - TV & Video - Online Video
Arts & Entertainment - TV & Video - TV Shows & Programs
Autos & Vehicles - Vehicle Brands - Hyundai
Computers & Electronics - Computer Hardware - Computer Drives & Storage - Hard Drives
Computers & Electronics - Consumer Electronics - Game Systems & Consoles - Xbox

Your demographics
We infer your age and gender based on the websites you've visited. You can remove or edit these at any time.
Age: 25-34
Gender: Male

Pretty accurate although Google is being pretty flattering when it comes to my age! Also the “Live Comedy” category confuses me.

If you find this targeted advertising too intrusive there is also a link on the left hand side of the that gives you the option to Opt Out of the targeted advertising. You will still see ads, but they will then be random. As for myself, I don’t really care and figure ANYTHING I do online is, or could be, tracked. It could be Google, Microsoft, the US Government, the Canadian Government, Santa Claus, or whomever so I don’t really care about targeted advertising.