Tech companies like Google and Meta are letting users control what types of advertisements they're shown online, a move that aims to address the power disparity between marketing companies and consumers, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 17.
Meta and Google introduced settings that let users opt out of ads from certain categories such as alcohol and gambling. The move, according to marketers, is helping them waste fewer ad dollars and is strengthening consumer trust and transparency in digital advertising.
Allowing consumers to indicate their interests and sensitivities benefits platforms and publishers, Ana Milicevic, consulting firm Sparrow Advisers's principal and co-founder, told The Journal.
This kind of tool also allows advertisers to gain more insights into which consumer to target and which to avoid, according to the report.
Other companies like Snapchat and TikTok are looking to follow suit, hoping this change will help ensure advertisers' content is served to an audience that will be comfortable with and interested in their pitches.