By Juliet Umeh
Over the years, the world has moved online and people want great online experiences delivered with privacy and with a trusted brand.
However, to make online experience more responsible and respectful, Google said it is making Ads more private.
Speaking during a virtual press briefing recently, Managing Director, Google Africa, Nitin Gajria, said: “We’re sharing and testing many of them through the Privacy Sandbox: providing new technologies that will allow users to see relevant ads on both web and mobile, without compromising their privacy or tracking them across sites or apps.
“We’re collaborating with industry around the world on the change – listening to their feedback, while staying on course with our commitment to phase out third party cookies on Chrome by the end of 2024.
“While we are building privacy safe solutions for the future, we are also giving people greater control over their data right now. That’s why last year we launched My Ad Center globally.
“In 2021, 300 million people visited Ad Settings – choosing to make ads more specific to them. My Ad Center gives people control over the ads they want to see across Search, Discover and YouTube by choosing what they like and don’t – in a single place.
“This works for both users and advertisers because the best ads are helpful, relevant and safe.”Gajriaalso noted that people want an ad-supported web.
He said: “Making the change to a more respectful, responsible ads-supported web model isn’t only vital to advertising success – it’s essential for the future of the web.
“It has been estimated that if personalised advertising were to suddenly go away, as much as $32 to $39 billion would shift away from those who rely on open web technology – including publishers, at a time where authoritative information has never been more important.
“Some say that all services should simply be paid for. But that would turn the web into a luxury good – shutting billions out.”
According to him, people deserve to trust what they see.
He said, “Protecting our users and keeping them safe online remains our utmost priority and at key moments like elections that’s even more important.
“We want to improve voters’ confidence in the political ads they may see on our ad platforms, and South Africa is the latest country to be added to our political advertiser verification program.
“Verified election ads are clearly labelled with the name of the organisation that paid for them and people can see how much was spent and what campaigns were run in our political transparency report.
“Africa is experiencing incredible change, presenting both opportunities and challenges. The continent is home to 19 of the top 20 fastest-growing countries on the globe, and its internet economy has the potential to grow to $180 billion by 2025.”
He added: “We are at a crossroads, for online advertising, and the future of the internet. Without people’s trust, the future of the ad-supported web is at stake. We need to embrace the change: building an ad-supported web fit for the future.
“A web that gives people the quality information they need, delivered with the privacy they deserve, by brands they can trust. We’re here to help support that transition,” Gajria said.
