The Consumer Choice Page allows you to choose whether or not you receive interest-based advertising from companies participating in the Self-Regulatory Program. You can (1) learn which participating companies have currently enabled customized ads for your browser; (2) make choices about the collection of Web viewing data for interest-based advertising and other applicable uses under the DAA Principles, from some or all participating Choice Page companies; and (3) find out which companies have already set an opt out cookie in your browser. You may choose to opt out from one or more participating companies, or opt out from all participating companies with a single click.
In this article:
1. The Initial Experience: Landing Page and Processes
When you visit the Consumer Choice Page, you will see the following shaded dialogue box:
The page checks your browser settings and your computer to identify: (1) whether cookies are enabled; (2) which participating companies, if any, are currently customizing ads for your browser; and (3) the participating companies, if any, for which you've already set an opt out. After the status check completes, you'll see three main tabs, each of which you can click for further information.
2. Opting Out: Your Choices and Step by Step Instructions
a. Opting Out of Individual Companies
Once the status check is complete you'll see the “Companies Customizing Ads For Your Browser” tab, which shows the participating companies that have currently enabled interest-based ads for your browser. The tab on the left - “All Participating Companies” - shows all the participating companies in the Cross-Industry Program in alphabetical order. The tab on the right - “Existing Opt Outs” - shows which participating companies have already set an opt out for your browser. In any of the three tabs, you can click on a company’s name to learn more about its practices. To opt out from one or more participating companies, simply check the box corresponding to the company’s name and click on the “Submit your choices” button. If a dash appears to the left of a company’s name, an opt out from that company has already been set for your browser.
b. Opting Out of All Companies With a Single Click
If you prefer to set an opt out preference under the DAA Principles for all participating companies, you may click the “Choose all companies” button located at the bottom of the pane.
3. The Final Step: Requesting Opt Outs
When you click on the “Submit your choices” or “Choose all companies” button, the shaded dialogue box below will appear at the bottom of the pane:
Once your opt out request(s) are submitted to the participating companies, the dialogue box will indicate whether all of your opt out requests completed successfully.
That’s it! The Consumer Choice Page makes it easy to find out about participating companies that provide interest-based advertising, and to make choices about whether to receive these types of ads in your browser.
4. Unavailable Statuses, Incomplete Requests, and What You Can Do About Them
Users of the Consumer Choice Page will sometimes receive messages indicating that status information for one or more participating companies is not available, or that one or more opt out requests were not completed. In either case, repeating the request may address the issue: you can refresh the Consumer Choice Page page to re-check for status, or repeat your opt out request(s) for some or all companies. Status and opt out issues that involve a significant number of participating companies may indicate that your browser or its settings are affecting the opt out process.
If the status of one or more companies is listed as unavailable you will see the following shaded dialogue box:
You can click on “Learn More” for more information. You can also see the companies for which status information was not completed by reviewing the top of the company listing at the “All Participating Companies” tab. If any of your opt out requests is not completed, you will see a similar dialogue box:
You can also see which opt out requests were not completed, if any, under the “All Participating Companies” tab.
For more detailed information about the Status Check and Incomplete Opt Outs, including computer and software requirements, click help. Additionally, detailed information about any warning notifications encountered can be found here.
