Interest-based advertising (or online behavioural advertising) is a way of using information about your web browsing activity to group you with other users into interest groups and serve you advertisements based upon these interests.

interest-based advertising differs from other forms of advertising on the internet such as contextual advertising, which is provided in response to your current, web session-based activities (including search queries or websites visited). Relevant ads can also be delivered based upon the website content you have just been viewing. This is known as ‘retargeting’.

2. How does interest-based advertising work?

There are different ways to provide interest-based advertising. At a basic level, information about your web browsing activity – together with information about thousands of other users’ browsing – is collected and segmented into general groups, such as cars, finance, travel, etc. An interest profile (for example – “cars”) is inferred from data about the sites or apps you have visited and a file known as a cookie – or similar technology (check out our jargon buster), is often placed on your computer/device, to identify you as someone interest in the category “cars”. Advertisers and websites will tailor adverts for groups of users with the same interest and the cookie enables such relevant display advertising to be delivered to you.

3. What data are used?

interest-based advertising can vary in terms of what information is used and how. Traditional advertising networks, for example, collect and use information when you visit one or a number of websites participating in that particular network. This is information such as the website content that you visit, keyword searches that you make and ads that you may interact with. Each business will provide you with more detail about information that they collect and use and this will be available by clicking on the AdChoices Icon that is in the ads that you may see on websites.

See our top five tips for further information.

4. What are the benefits?

You receive online display advertising that is relevant to you and your interests. For example, if you’re interest in gardening and visit gardening websites, you may – in the same or a later online browsing session – receive advertising for special offers on gardening-related items such as lawnmowers.

Though the preference is always your own, many people consider that tailored advertising is beneficial as you’ll receive more relevant adverts as well as access to quality content, services and applications at little or no cost. It is also beneficial to advertisers as they are able to reach the audience that is most likely to be interest in their information, leaving out those who are not likely to be interest. It is also beneficial for websites (web publishers) as advertising allows them to continue to provide content at little or no cost and make that advertising more relevant to their users. This advertising revenue helps to fund future innovations and services on the internet.

5. Isn’t this a threat to my privacy?

The EU Good Practice Principles were specifically designed to help safeguard your privacy when receiving or interacting with online advertisements. You always have a choice as to whether you wish to benefit from this type of advertising or not. More relevant advertising needs a little bit of information about your interests, otherwise it cannot work but we acknowledge that people may be uncomfortable with this. If so, you can turn off Interest-based advertising here. You can also manage your settings within the web browser that you are using. Visit our five top tips to see how to do this. Many web browsers have a ‘private browsing’ mode as well, though this does not always mean the same thing across different browsers and the terminology may be different, so we recommend checking within your preferred browser what functionalities this type of service enables (or disables).

6. What can I do if I don’t want this type of advertising?

You can opt out here. You can also manage your settings within the web browser that you are using. Visit our top tips to see how to do this. Many web browsers also have a ‘private browsing’ mode as well, though this does not always mean the same thing across different browsers and the terminology may be different, so we recommend checking within your preferred browser what functionalities this type of service enables (or disables).

It is important to remember that turning off interest-based advertising does not mean that you will no longer receive advertising when you are using the internet. It just means that the advertising you see displayed on websites and apps will not be tailored to your interests and therefore may be less relevant to you.

7. Does interest-based advertising mean I will see more advertising?

No. It simply means that the advertising you do see on some websites and apps will be more relevant to your interests. This type of advertising on the internet helps to ensure that a wide variety of online content and services can be provided, often available at little or no cost.

8. Will my online experience be disrupted by interest-based advertising?

No. You will not see or experience any difference when online. Interest-based advertising simply aims to make the advertising you see on websites and apps more relevant to you.

9. Will interest-based advertising be directed at children?

The EU Good Practice Principles have a specific commitment that no business shall create or sell an interest or audience segment intended for the sole purpose of behaviourally advertising to children they know to be under the age of 13 years, in accordance with GDPR requirements.

10. What is this EU Good Practice and how is it relevant to me?

The EU Good Practice Principles are guidelines for businesses collecting and using online information for interest-based advertising. The aim is to provide you with transparent information and control over this type of advertising. At the heart of the Principles is a symbol or icon (known as the “AdChoices Icon”) that appears in advertisements on websites and apps to provide you with this information and control. You can find out more about this icon in our five top tips.

11. How do I know businesses that have signed up are complying with these Principles?

Businesses that have signed up to the EU Good Practice have to go through an independent verification process to show that they are fully compliant. To demonstrate this, businesses are awarded a ‘trust seal’. You can see which businesses have achieved this here. The seal below is also displayed alongside the company name on the preference platform.