Google launches a new Chrome extension to show detailed ad-tracking information

Google has released a Chrome extension that can give you more knowledge into how you’re being focused by advertisers. Called “Ads Transparency Spotlight,” it shows the number of ads loading on a page, the advertisers and advertisement tech organizations present, and the individual information (demographics, re-marketing, interests, location, and so forth.) that is being used to serve the advertisements.

“Our new Ads Transparency Spotlight (Alpha) extension for Chrome is part of our ongoing initiative to give people more visibility into the data used to personalize ads and more control over that data,” Google wrote in the depiction of its Chrome web store.

Google takes note of this early version just shows data about Google-served ads that have executed Google’s “Ad Disclosure Schema,” and not other third-party ads. That schema is designed to help the entirety of its advertisers unveil how they’re using your data, as indicated by Google’s Github page. “Over time, we hope the [rest of] the industry will incorporate the Ad Disclosure Schema into their ads,” Google said.

On top of demonstrating advertisement data, the extension shows “all companies and services with a presence on the page,” including content delivery networks or analytics providers. It gives a link to each organization’s privacy policy, indicating how each gathers and stores client information. Note that the expansion may work contrastingly in areas outside the US — a few of us in Europe could see the advertisers and number of ads, yet no close to any personal tracking info.

The extension is part of a push by Google to expand ad transparency and maybe fight off further privacy-oriented legislation like the EU’s GDPR laws. Simultaneously, Google is attempting to supplant the current wild west ad system by progressively eliminating third-party cookies and presenting new ad-blocking tech that filters making trouble ads while letting great ones through. Simultaneously, it acquainted a suite changes with Chrome that would prevent ad-blockers from working adequately, to help sites that depend on advertising.

The new extension is useful, yet others like Ghostery offer more detailed data about trackers, ads, and other information while enabling you to block them too. Another option is the Brave browser, which additionally shows and blocks tracker data while giving you access to more private browsing options.