New Google Chrome extension displays detailed ad-tracking data

Google has released a new Chrome extension that shows you how advertisers are targeting you. Ads Transparency Spotlight displays the number of ads loading on a page, what advertisers and ad tech companies are present, and what personal data is being used to serve advertisements (like demographics, remarketing, interests, location, etc.). It also shows links to the privacy policy of companies and services present on the page, how each collects and stores data, and why the ads are displayed on a page. According to Engadget, the extension might work differently in regions outside of the US. Some European users can see the advertisers and number of ads, but not the personal tracking info.

This early version of the extension only shows the information on Google-served ads that used Google's Ad Disclosure Scheme. It's designed to help advertisers share how they're using your data. This new extension is part of Google's push to improve its ad transparency and avoid additional privacy-oriented legislation (like the European Union's GDPR laws).

Source: 9to5Google