The advertising ID is a unique, user-resettable identification number for advertising and provides the capability to reset that number if it has been compromised. It allows you to control which devices send information about your activity on Google services (such as +1’s, searches and YouTube views) to Google.
If your device or computer is stolen or lost, an attacker could use it to access your account without needing your password. You can use the Advertising ID as an extra layer of protection against this type of attack by setting up a new Advertising ID on another device and signing out from any other sessions before you lose access to that device. This way, even if someone gets access to your session, they will not be able to link it back with any of the data sent from other devices using that same Advertising ID.
Your advertising ID is a unique identifier for each one of us online users who have accounts with social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc… In
What is an advertising ID
The term “advertising ID” can mean a few things. In Android this specifically refers to the Google Advertising ID, also known as the Android ID which is a unique numerical value assigned to each device running Android. It’s used by both Google and advertisers to serve targeted ads based on interests. Also Read:
I don’t think that’s true.
The biggest reason behind this is that I believe Google’s real motivation for collecting unique IDs was to give them a way to push apps, movies, music, etc into your “account” without the use of cookies or any other device that tracks you across multiple web pages. By using their own system, they could place items in your “wish list” and when you go to purchase them, they would show up in your wallet for payment. This is speculation, but it fits their behavior.
By tying this into your Gmail account, you can also see what kinds of things advertisers are trying to push into your life, giving you another tool for understanding the world around you.
Another reason for this may be to provide a unique identifier that can’t be faked or spoofed, unless an advertiser is willing to abandon the majority of advertising revenue from Android users. If someone went through the trouble to spoof it they would also need to use their own servers, which they don’t have access too.
And lastly, even if “an advertiser” wanted to build their own system, Google provides a free infrastructure to serve advertisements on Android devices. Why would any company voluntarily forgo this method of getting targeted ads out to the masses?
Why do I need to know my advertising ID
So you’ve heard something about “advertising ID” but you aren’t really sure what it is or why it matters. That’s alright because I’m here, so let me explain to you what advertising ID is and why I think that every single person should know about it.
First, for those of you who are not aware, the ads on your phone and computer are not placed there by aliens. It’s done by a program that analyzes your interests and displays ads that you might like to see. This analysis is performed by an advertising ID or “advertising identifier”. The advertising ID is different from the phone number, email address, name etc. as it works behind the scenes without ever revealing any personal information about you (name, location etc.).
However, advertisers can still gain access to your personal information through your advertising ID if they so wish because it functions as a unique serial number for each phone/computer/tablet/gaming console etc. and stores information regarding what type of content you search online and how much time do you spend viewing certain types of ads for example. This means that the more ads you click or search for, the more accurate ad placements will be.
There are now so many apps and websites out there that allow to track your clicks/searches/impressions. These are called “ad trackers” or “ad spy tools”. You might have seen some of them when installing random apps from the web or maybe even on this blog (I use an ad tracking tool myself). Now, what happens if you install a brand-new app, and it asks for permissions like access to contacts / location / phone / photos? Well, most of us know not to give such permission as it would give too much power to the app developer, and we don’t want him gaining access to our personal information, right?
But what if you don’t see any permissions that the app requests? Well, this is because it might request access to your advertising ID since it requires no “permissions” at all. Plus, many apps automatically request permission to access their advertisement tracking tools by default, even though you didn’t do anything!
How do I find my advertising ID
Advertising IDs are a feature in most major mobile operating systems used by advertisers.
Do you have an iPhone or iPad? If so, then your device was likely included when Apple introduced the first iteration of the ID in 2013. Go to ‘Settings’ on your device, click ‘Privacy’, and select ‘Advertising’. See the section titled “Your Advertising Identifier”? That’s your advertising ID!
On Android devices, Google also provides a method for users to find their identifier through their settings. Select ‘Google’ from the main menu of your phone, then select ‘Ads’, which will be found under ‘Personal’. Your ID will appear under the “Your advertising ID” section at the top.
Is My Advertising ID Safe?
Some users are concerned about their privacy with regard to ad tracking. The good news is that your advertising ID on your mobile device only tracks you when you use applications or visit websites that have advertisements.
So if you’re not using apps with ads or visiting websites that have ads, then advertisers won’t know anything about you either way, even if you have an advertising ID set up on your phone.
What can you use your advertising ID for
Is there anything I can do about this?
You can opt out of the major services that track your advertising ID. To do so, you need to visit each company’s respective opt-out page — listed below with links for easy access. Twitter requires you to login before allowing you to opt out, but Google and Microsoft don’t so feel free to use either option.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/settings/ads
Google: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
Microsoft: http://choice.live.com/advertisementchoice/Default.aspx?pub=Off&city=1 (requires that you live in the U.S., UK or Canada)
Signing up for a Google account and getting your Advertising ID
An advertising ID is a unique, user-resettable ID Google assigns you to personally identify your device for advertising.
As the article from Google on advertising IDs says: “It doesn’t uniquely identify your account, and the same device can get different IDs over time.”
If you edit or delete your ads settings , it will change what ads you see and what information is collected by Google about your device. This includes removing previously targeted ads based on past activity; as well as stopping all collection of information related to serving ads on this device (Advertising ID deletion), which will make it harder for apps and websites to find and target the right audience.
You can also use one Advertising ID across multiple devices , like if you have more than one Android device.
What actions would you like to take? Delete your Google advertising ID Deactivate your Google advertising ID Change how often an app or website can use your Advertising ID Change what ads are targeted to you based on past activity on this device
Creating a Facebook Business Page and finding the Advertising ID on that page
An advertising ID is a unique identifier for your computer that lets Facebook track what you’re doing on certain participating websites, apps, and games. It allows Facebook to provide targeted ads based on things like your age, gender or interests — which are often listed on your profile page .
Why it matters: You can turn off ad targeting at any time , but if you do so, or if you select “No” when prompted to give Facebook access to this information, you will likely see less relevant ads in your News Feed.
Background information: An advertising ID is a unique identifier for your computer that lets Facebook track what you’re doing on certain participating websites, apps, and games. It allows Facebook to provide targeted ads based on things like your age, gender or interests — which are typically listed on your profile page .
You can turn off ad targeting at any time, but if you do so, or if you select “No” when prompted to give Facebook access to this information, you will likely see less relevant ads in your News Feed.
Do you know what your advertising ID is?
If you don’t know what it is, then this article will help you understand why it’s important to have one. We’ll also show you how to find out what it is and how to use it.
You can use your advertising ID for a lot of things including creating an account on Google or Facebook Business Page, tracking conversions, and more!
