Google's latest updates to its terms of service have left many privacy advocates crying foul. One new feature called "shared endorsements" allows your name and photograph to be used in targeted advertisements on Google property sites.
Google's support page for shared endorsements claims the feature will allow for more friend-based recommendation of music and restaurants, working much like Facebook's Sponsored Stories.
See also: The Beginner's Guide to Google+
Shared endorsements are not unique. Many sites, apps and browsers are using your information in ways you might not entirely comply with if you'd take the time to read their privacy policies. Often, opting out is only a click away, though it may be difficult to find out where exactly to click.
We've compiled this list of ways various Internet companies are tracking and using your data — plus, given you the tools to opt out, if you wish.
The privacy policies of some sites allow them to turn your Likes and reviews into personalized advertisements. Though you cannot remove advertisements altogether (without an extension like AdBlock), you can opt out of having your information pulled for the use of marketing.
Note: Opting out of tailored advertising will not remove all ads from these sites; it will only stop your information from being pulled to customize them.
Opt out here.
Shared endorsements pull your +1s, YouTube Likes and reviews from Google Maps and GooglePlay, then turn them into advertisements for your connections. To opt out of the advertising portion, scroll down in your Google+ preferences to the Shared Endorsements in Ads section. You will see the sentence "Based upon my activity, Google may show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads." Make sure the box next to it is left unchecked if you wish to opt out.
Opt out here.
Interest-based advertising by Google pulls your search history and web profile to gear advertisements for you. You can opt out of the ads both on Google and across the web in your Google Ad settings page. Scroll down to Opt-out Settings and follow the instructions there.
Opt out here.
Facebook's social ads show an action you've taken, such as Liking a page, alongside the message of an advertiser. You can turn this feature off by clicking on the Edit button in your Ads settings page, selecting No one and saving your changes.
Opt out here.
Twitter's targeted ad campaign matches your profile information and tweet archive to relevant advertisers. Opting out is easy: Through your profile, go to your Security Settings page and uncheck the box under the promoted content section.
Image: Google
Every time you go looking for something on the web, your search engine learns a little bit more about you. This data is collected, analyzed and used to better target the advertisements you see and give you more relevant search results. While this web personalization might make for more finely-tuned results, it could also lead to slightly warped search results, depending what your search engine's algorithm has determined to be your interests.
The three major search engines all allow you to turn this personalized filtering off with relative ease.
Opt out here.
Within your Bing profile settings, you can stop history tracking by simply clicking the Turn Off button. From this page, you're also able to selectively delete any previous Bing searches you've made.
Opt out here.
In your Yahoo preferences page, you can toggle search history off by clicking on the "Keep Search History" drop-down arrow, selecting Search history off and saving.
Opt out here.
In preferences, select the Turn off button, next to the phrase "Web history is on." From here, you can also delete any and all past searches Google has stored.
Third-party cookies are files created by websites you visit, which then store some of your information. Though many argue these cookies maintain enough anonymity to protect users' rights to privacy, some still choose to disable them in their browsers.
While in Chrome, click on the Settings tab, then the Show Advanced Settings tab. Next, select Content settings and check the box for Block third-party cookies and site data.
In Firefox's Privacy panel, click on the area next to Firefox will: and select Use custom settings for history. Once selected, remove the checkmark in the Accept Cookies box.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: istockphoto, sukmaraga