How does YouTube track user activity Why does YouTube track user activity? How to stop YouTube from tracking Watch History How to turn off personalized ads on YouTube How to turn on Incognito Mode on iPhone, iPad, and Mac Pros and cons of blocking YouTube from tracking your activity
How does YouTube track user activity
Like most other websites, YouTube collects user data from website cookies. Additionally, it also has some other technologies that track your interaction on the website. You must’ve heard about the famous (or infamous) “YouTube Algorithm.” It feeds on your data and suggests videos based on your activity. For example, suppose you watched a video on YouTube about Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max. The next time you open the app or refresh the homepage, YouTube will start suggesting videos with similar titles and content. Suggesting similar videos is quite acceptable when you willingly search for a video. It can also help you learn more about a topic if you use YouTube for educational purposes. However, it can get frustrating when the YouTube Homepage is cluttered with nursery rhyme videos that your younger cousin once searched for on your iPhone. The same applies to ads. I’m sure you want to avoid watching ads about a sale on an e-commerce platform you recently browsed through. This raises the question, why does YouTube track users’ activity?
Why does YouTube track user activity?
The primary purpose of YouTube tracking users’ activity is to keep these users hooked to the platform. Yes, the platform makes money on every video you watch (surprise), and more content consumed equates to more profits. Also, users tend to respond better to personalized ads rather than random ads. Obviously, you will be more interested in an advertisement about a product you recently searched for on Google rather than watching something random that does not align with your interests.
How to stop YouTube from tracking watch history
For iPhone, iPad and Android
Beginning now, YouTube will not keep track of the videos you watch. However, if you wish to disable this setting in the future, follow the same steps and select the TURN ON option.
For Mac and Windows
How to turn off personalized ads on YouTube
Please note that disabling Personalized ads is not specific to YouTube but affects all sites and apps that partner with Google.
For iPhone and iPad
It might take a while for the changes to apply. However, once done, you will no longer see advertisements based on your activity.
For Mac and Windows
Suppose you do not want to make the abovementioned changes, or even after making the changes mentioned above, you want a more private browsing experience. In that case, we recommend you enable Incognito mode on YouTube.
How to turn on Incognito Mode on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Incognito mode comes in handy when you want to watch a video someone sent you without affecting the algorithm and spoiling your YouTube Homepage. Also, since it is in incognito mode, none of the activity is stored in the Watch History. Once you’re done browsing videos in Incognito mode, repeat the abovementioned steps and select Turn Off Incognito to return to your profile.
Pros and cons of blocking YouTube from tracking your activity
For those who are still in a pickle deciding if you should disable YouTube from tracking your activity, let me list down the pros and cons that will help you make an informed choice. Pros
YouTube will not keep track of the videos you’ve watched, allowing you to watch any video of your choice without affecting your algorithm. None of the videos you watch will affect the suggestions on the YouTube Homepage. Ads will no longer be targeted and won’t be based on your browsing history.
Cons
YouTube won’t remember where you stopped a video. You won’t be able to resume a video from the moment you last watched it. Any videos you watch won’t contribute towards YouTube, suggesting relevant videos on the homepage. You will get random ads on videos.
Don’t share your data with anyone! I’m sure the article helped you stop YouTube from tracking your activity on the platform. If you want to take this a step further, you can even prevent Google from tracking your web and app activity. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments below. Read more:
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