The Accuracy of the Demographic Inferences Shown on Google's Ad Settings

TitleThe Accuracy of the Demographic Inferences Shown on Google's Ad Settings
Publication TypeTechnical Report
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsTschantz, M. Carl, Egelman S., Choi J., Weaver N., & Friedland G.
Date Published10/2016
Abstract

Google's Ad Settings show the gender and age that Google has inferred about a web user. We compare the inferred values to the self-reported values of 502 survey participants. We find that Google often does not show an inference, but when it does, it is typically correct. We explore which usage characteristics, such as using privacy enhancing technologies, are associated with Google's accuracy.

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) grants CNS 1065240 and CNS-1514509. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of any sponsoring institution, the U.S. government or any other entity.

URLhttp://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/pubs/networking/theaccuracyofthedemographic16.pdf
ICSI Research Group

Networking and Secuirty