These opt-outs only work as long as the third party cookie remains on the computer. Once the cookie is deleted the opt-out is void. So, when you clear cookies/cache or if you do not allow third party cookies, then the feature is useless... BTW, I've never noticed it here either, but I see this a lot on other sites (Goog. Yahoo. etc.) as examples.

If I'm going to see ads, I personally prefer they be ads with at least a remote likelihood they'll be for something I'd find interesting. I've actually clicked on a few ads (scary, I know ) to get some additional info on something I've seen. One lately was for a stock portfolio contest being run by CNBC with a $1 mil top prize. I'm thinking about it.

I think you can opt out of targeted ads and not do any damage whatsoever to ATS or the associated advertising revenue. I have no idea why someone would want to, but the option is there and freely available.
I'm not sure which of the ads I see are "targeted", but I seem to see more ads in my wheelhouse here than i do elsewhere. That could also be a function of a "typical user" profile for a site like this. Not sure, don't care.

The reality of the internet is it costs money to keep a site like ATS available. There are only two ways to generate that revenue, charge the users or sell the available inventory (page views/page space) to advertisers who want to reach our audience and user base.

The past few years there has been an increase in the technological capabilities of the software that serves ads online. Ad networks have the ability to "remember" the content you see on the sites where they serve ads. This doesn't mean they know you personally, associate the content you see with your personal identity, or even use the data. They use this to identify the interests of user "#5r4366ewx" (the random code assigned to the cookie placed on your browser when you arrive at a site using a specific ad network's tags) and hopefully serve him/her/it (they have no clue who you are) ads that may actually be of interest to him/her/it.

The ad networks' cookies stay in the browser and when you come to another site that has that network's ads on it the cookie identifies your computer so that the ad network can look up in an offline database the ads you've already seen, what ads are likely to be of interest, and then it serves an ad based on its best guess against the information they have. This is also used to make sure you're not seeing the same ads over and over.

This intelligent and convenient means of serving us ads that may actually interest us has come under attack from the "online security industry" because it serves their purposes, to scare people who don't understand what's being collected (personally unidentifiable data assigned to a cookie to identify the cookie) into buying more of their software to protect them from the scary ad that may actually interest them.

These companies play on the ignorance of the average internet user by claiming that they are being "tracked". That word has negative and scary connotations to it, that's why they use it. If they were honest about it and described it truthfully nobody would be scared or worried about it, which means they wouldn't sell very much of their software. Ironic isn't it?

The truth is nobody is being "tracked", why would an advertiser spend millions of dollars to "track" you or me? What are they going to gain from it? They don't care about what sites you like, they don't care where you are. They DO care about what products and styles interest you in the hopes they will be able to SELL you something.

SELLING you something is truly ALL they care about, it's what advertising is all about, sales.

The only people "tracking" anyone are scammers, crooks and the law enforcement officials who are looking for them with a court order.

In an effort to create transparency, and hopefully end the unwarranted fear of "behavioral advertising", the interactive advertising industry has created this initiative to show you exactly what's being collected (otherwise meaningless and non identifiable data) and give you the option to opt out.

Opting out will only change the ads you see, they likely won't be of any interest to you what so ever. The means to predict what may interest you is certainly not perfect but, it beats the heck out of getting ads for panties when you're a 35 year old man or, an ad for jock straps if you're a 35 year old woman.

Deny ignorance, be informed, don't be fooled by scary rhetoric designed to separate you from your money.

Springer...

welcome to the internet!

advertising is king. like springer said, advertisers want to show you ads that you are most likely to click.

sites want this happening too, because the more you click ads from a site, the more a site makes (whether a direct payout per click, or a payout per thousand impressions, more clicks usually equals a higher payout per 1,000).

this is just how the internet works. pretty much everything on the internet "tracks" everything you do somehow.

if you are really that worried, use private modes of browsers, or if youre really concerned use torpark or a similar proxy solution. even then, most sites are still recognizing your visit as unique. just maybe not as uniquely you.

i work in online advertising, i play these games, and these things run deep. more so than most people would ever want to believe. but the truth is the truth, and most websites wouldnt exist without the ad revenue.

Another important point.

If you visit a website that has ads, but not this disclosure, they're not operating under the self-regulatory code of ethics adopted by the advertising industry.

Is it not the case that a new law has been put to advertisers that is to be implemented by 2013 that if they are to send you a cookie you will be sent a notification as to wether you want to accept said cookie or not....

and i see it happen all the time where i might look on a site...say zoopla for instance then when i come onto ATS i get blasted with zoopla adds in the banners.....Zap...i have been cookified......

but it is such an easy thing to deal with...just go into your browser ZAp delete cookies....

then you are presented with the random add that may appear on the site itself.....just think you could be missing that next big thing.