How to Turn off Shared Endorsements in Google Account

Your Google account has a feature called Shared endorsements that’s turned on by default. 

What are Shared endorsements?

It’s a way for Google to use your profile data including activity (like reviews, likes, follows, and shares) along with your name and photo to recommend stuff to other people. 

For example, if you review an album on Google Play, your friends might see that when they’re browsing.

How does it work?

Google can use your activity in ads and other promotional stuff. So, if you like a product, your name and photo might show up in an ad for that product, telling your friends that you recommend it.

Can you control it?

Absolutely! You can choose whether or not Google uses your info this way, especially in ads. There is a setting that you can change to turn this off if you want.

Here is how to do that:

Login to your Google account dashboard and click on People & sharing.

On the right side, scroll down to Share recommendation in ads. This, by default, is on. Click on it. 

It will take you to a page explaining how shared endorsements work.

Scroll down and turn off the option that says Google can show your profile photo and other information in endorsing ads.

Go back to the Share recommendation in ads section. This option should now be off.

Privacy benefits of turning it off:

By turning off shared endorsements, you’ll keep your online activity and your Google account more secure and private. Your likes, reviews, and other actions won’t be used in ads or recommendations, which means:

Your friends and family won’t see your name or photo associated with products or services. You will have more control over how your personal information is used online. It also reduces the chance of your preferences being used for targeted advertising.

Remember, it’s all about what you’re comfortable with. If you like the idea of helping friends find cool stuff, you might want to leave it on. But if you prefer to keep your online activity more private, turning it off is a simple way to do that.

Happy browsing.