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Google will let you mute those annoying ads that follow you

You'll be able to shut down "reminder ads" that pop up after you visit a store.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
Google headquarters in Mountain View, California

Google is giving you a bit more control over the ads you see. 

Stephen Shankland/CNET

Have you ever visited an online store only to have ads for that very store follow you around?

Google will help you shut those ads down now. 

The online search giant said on Thursday in a blog post that it will let users "mute" reminder ads that show up in apps and sites that partner to show its ads. It's part of a program called "Mute This Ad" that's been around since 2012, giving people more control over the kinds of commercials they see.

Watch this: Mute those annoying reminder ads that follow you

This feature is useful if you're no longer shopping for a specific product or brand, and don't want to see more ads for that store. 

Google plans to expand the feature to YouTube, Gmail and its search page in the coming months. The company's also going to be dabbling in ad blocking in its Chrome browser starting next month.

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