In an endeavor to provide users with additional information pertaining to the use of their data for targeted ads, Yahoo Monday launched a new advertising privacy tool - 'Ad Interest Manager.'

With the help of the new tool, which allows users to see what affect their search and browsing histories has on targeted ads, the users would be able to clearly view the categories that have been earmarked. Thereon, the users either turn certain categories on or off manually, or even avail the 'opt out' option to leave the targeted ads service altogether.

For opting out of the targeted ads service, users would have to click on the 'opt out' button on the Yahoo page, along side the box that says: "Interest-based Ads: Are currently on." A click on the 'opt out button would send across an indication to Yahoo to stop serving up targeted ads based on the particular user's online activity.

Talking about the 'Ad Interest Manager' tool, Yahoo said in a recent blog post that the ad tracking tool "will show users what interests we think they have, and also let them edit and change those interests to reflect the most up-to-date information."

While the 'Ad Interest Manager' has currently been introduced in the US, Yahoo said that the availability of the tool will be extended to the European users in the coming weeks.