Google is giving users more control over the types of advertising they see, now allowing them to block targeted ads regarding pregnancy and weight-loss, reported The Washington Post April 28.
Users will now be able to choose if they want to see fewer advertisements related to certain sensitive topics in their privacy settings.
Google conducted user surveys to understand which categories of advertising are deemed the most sensitive to users. "What came through at the very top was alcohol and gambling, so we provided that," Karin Hennessy, Google’s group product manager for ads privacy, told the Post. "The very next four categories were parenting, pregnancy, dating and weight loss. It's all based on what we perceive as sensitive categories, but also very much on what we're hearing from users."
It already prohibits the marketing of targeted ads based on health conditions or mental health, but it does allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise on the platform.